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TV Star Roseanne Barr Speaks out After Show Cancelation

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5/30/2018
Updated:
9/28/2018

TV star Roseanne Barr has taken to Twitter to tell fans not to defend her in the fallout over her controversial tweet.

On late Tuesday, May 29, Barr wrote two tweets imploring her fans not to defend her actions, conceding that her comments were “unforgivable” and “indefensible.”

She also urged supporters not to boycott ABC in the wake of the network axing her popular TV sitcom.

Earlier that night, Barr issued a second apology over Twitter asking fans not to feel sorry for her and apologized to the staff who had lost their jobs.

ABC cancelled its “Roseanne” revival after Roseanne Barr’s tweet, which many derided as racist.

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said on Tuesday, May 29.

Barr attacked Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, in a tweet in which she wrote, “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”

She later apologized, tweeting: “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste.”

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger partially explained his reason for canceling “Roseanne.”

“There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing,” he tweeted.
Showrunner Bruce Helford also issued a statement: “On behalf of all the writers and producers, we worked incredibly hard to create an amazing show. I was personally horrified and saddened by the comments and in no way do they reflect the values of the people who worked so hard to make this the iconic show that it is,” The Hollywood Reporter said.

“Roseanne” finished as TV’s No. 1 scripted series on all of TV, averaging a 5.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 19.3 million viewers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Wanda Sykes, a consulting producer, also quit the show before it was canceled, ABC reported.

Sara Gilbert, a star on “Roseanne,” also slammed the actress. “This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love—one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member,” she wrote on Twitter.

Jarrett, who is African-American, served as the senior adviser to the president of the United States under the Obama administration.

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