ABC cancels ‘Roseanne’ after star’s racist tweet
Posted May 29, 2018 12:33 pm.
Last Updated May 29, 2018 2:26 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABC has cancelled its hit reboot of “Roseanne” following her racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
Barr had tweeted that former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett is a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the “Planet of the Apes.”
ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey says the comment “is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel the show.”
The “Roseanne” revival this spring was an unexpected major hit for ABC. It was particularly popular among many conservative viewers because Barr’s character expressed support for President Donald Trump.
Barr on Tuesday apologized, tweeting to Jarrett that she was sorry “for making a bad joke” about her politics and her looks. Jarrett, who is African-American, advised Barack and Michelle Obama.
Meanwhile, comic Wanda Sykes, who is a consulting producer on “Roseanne,” tweeted that she would not be returning to the show.
Barr’s now-deleted tweet read: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” It was part of a busy period on Twitter for Barr, who wrote tweets or retweeted attacks on Michael Moore, Chelsea Clinton and George Soros. In her apology, Barr said the Jarrett comment was “in bad taste.”
