‘Roseanne’ canceled after star’s racist tweet

ABC canceled the relaunched “Roseanne” program on Tuesday amid an uproar over a racist tweet by Roseanne Barr, the show’s lead actor, about Valerie Jarrett, a longtime adviser and close friend of former President Barack Obama‘s.

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment’s president, Channing Dungey, said in a statement.


Facing a fevered backlash over social media, Barr apologized on Tuesday for making the comment about Jarrett.

Over Twitter, the edgy star of the newly relaunched ABC sitcom sparked a firestorm by writing of Jarrett: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” Jarrett was born in Iran and is African-American.

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Barr initially responded to criticism suggesting the remark was a “joke.” But as calls quickly grew for both ABC and sponsors to drop the sitcom, she later offered a full-throated apology.

“I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr wrote. “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.”

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. — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018

Jarrett, now a senior fellow at the University of Chicago Law School, told MSNBC during a pre-taped town hall-style program on racism set to air Tuesday night that she was “fine“ in the wake of Barr‘s remarks. But she added that the controversy should serve as a “teaching moment“ on the pervasiveness of everyday racism.

“I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment,“ Jarrett said, according to a clip released by the network. “I‘m fine. I'm worried about all the people out there who don't have a circle of friends and followers who come right to their defense.“

According to the network, the former Obama adviser added that the Walt Disney Company’s chairman and CEO, Robert Iger, whose company owns ABC, called her before announcing the cancellation of the program. After the program was dropped, Iger tweeted: “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”

From Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."

There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing. — Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 29, 2018

The cancellation signals a victory for critics of the show, who scrutinized ABC’s decision to revive the popular 1990s sitcom despite lingering concerns over Barr’s incendiary comments online. It also marks the end of a show that drew praise from President Donald Trump, who was supported by both Barr and her fictional TV character.

After the premiere of the “Roseanne” reboot drew nearly 20 million viewers in March, Trump celebrated its ratings success during a rally in Ohio. “Look at her ratings! Look at her ratings!” Trump told the crowd, attributing the figures partly to himself and his supporters.

Trump has long touted ratings as a barometer of sorts for success, both as the former face of NBC’s “The Apprentice” and as a politician. And the popularity of Barr’s program was widely seen as linked to the populist surge that helped Trump clinch the presidency in 2016.

Asked about Barr’s comments and the subsequent cancellation, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Tuesday that Trump's focus lay elsewhere.

She told reporters aboard Air Force One that “the president is focused on North Korea. He’s focused on trade deals. And he’s focused on rebuilding our military, the economy. And that’s what he’s spending his time on, not responding to other things.“

Trump himself made no mention of the controversy on Tuesday night during a rally for a Senate candidate in Nashville, Tennessee.

ABC’s decision to drop the show was celebrated by several legislators.

“Thank you, @ABCNetwork. You did the right thing,” tweeted Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a civil rights icon who marched alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s. “There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry.”

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), the first formerly undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress, tweeted: “Thank you @ABC for standing up to reaffirm that racism and bigotry will NOT be tolerated.”

In response to the TV star’s remarks, David Axelrod, a longtime Jarrett friend and White House colleague, took aim at Barr earlier on Tuesday.

“I’m proud of Valerie and the extraordinary life and contributions she’s made,” Axelrod said in an email Tuesday. “Can anyone say the same about that tweet? It brands itself.”

It appears the original tweet was since taken down.

Prior to the show’s cancellation, Wanda Sykes, who described herself as a consulting producer for the program, tweeted that she “will not be returning” to “Roseanne.” And Sara Gilbert, who plays the daughter to Barr’s character, Roseanne Conner, on the show, expressed disappointment over the “abhorrent” remarks on social media.

I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC. — Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018

“Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show,” Gilbert tweeted. “I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.”

She added: “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.”

Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. — sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018

The network had faced renewed pressure on Tuesday to address incendiary public remarks from Barr, who has sparked controversy by propagating unsubstantiated conspiracy theories online. Her remarks on Jarrett prompted a fresh round of calls for companies to drop their ads on the program.

In a separate Twitter screed earlier on Tuesday, Barr took aim at Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as at George Soros, the billionaire political donor who started the the grantmaking network Open Society Foundations. Barr, who is Jewish, accused Soros of being “a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps,” and suggested that Chelsea Clinton is married to a member of his family, tweeting: “Chelsea Soros Clinton.”

Good morning Roseanne - my given middle name is Victoria. I imagine George Soros’s nephews are lovely people. I’m just not married to one. I am grateful for the important work @OpenSociety does in the world. Have a great day! https://t.co/mXokiTEwN7 — Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 29, 2018

Two of the messages were retweeted by Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son. A representative for him did not respond to a request for comment on the remarks or the “Roseanne” cancellation.

Chelsea Soros Clinton — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018

Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you!I Please forgive me! By the way, George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea? — Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018

Clinton and a representative for Soros refuted Barr’s incendiary remarks.

“Good morning Roseanne — my given middle name is Victoria,” Clinton tweeted. “I imagine George Soros’s nephews are lovely people. I’m just not married to one. I am grateful for the important work @OpenSociety does in the world. Have a great day!”

In an email, a spokesperson for Soros blasted Barr’s allegations: “He did not collaborate with the Nazis. He did not help round up people. He did not confiscate anybody’s property. Such false allegations are insulting to the victims of the Holocaust, to all Jewish people, and to anyone who honors the truth. They are an affront to Mr. Soros and his family, who against the odds managed to survive one of the darkest moments in our history.”

