ABC's 'Roseanne' Canceled After Racist Tweet By Star Roseanne Barr

Search
Home

It’s hard to believe that only two months ago, we were writing about ABC series “Roseanne” having a chance at some Emmy nominations after the revival debuted with incredible ratings. Now, just a short time later, the popular sitcom is unceremoniously canceled by the network. It’s such a quick change of direction, it’s bound to give you whiplash.

So, how did “Roseanne” go from the top of the TV mountain to the gutter in less than 24 hours? Well, you can thank series star Roseanne Barr for that.

Earlier today, Barr tweeted (and then promptly deleted) about former White House aide Valerie Jarrett, an African-American, saying, “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” When confronted by a Twitter user for being a racist, Barr replied, “Muslims r NOT a race.”

As you might imagine, those tweets caused a firestorm of controversy and put Barr at the center of yet another social media scandal. The actress/comedian had already become a controversial figure, since the debut of her sitcom, with her continued political attacks and constant conspiracy theories. But it seems as if this latest embarrassment was enough for ABC to pull the plug on their highest-rated series.

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” said a statement from ABC president Channing Dungey. Disney CEO Bob Iger said, “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”

This statement comes after some apparent damage control by Roseanne. After deleting the first tweet, she went to the social media site, with an apology. “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,” Barr tweeted. She then tweeted that she was quitting the social media site.

That apology wasn’t enough for some people who worked on the now-canceled sitcom. Prior to ABC’s statement, “Roseanne” consulting producer and writer, Wanda Sykes, tweeted, “I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.”

“Roseanne” actress Sara Gilbert didn’t threaten to quit the show but still voiced her displeasure with Barr’s tweet, saying, “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.”

Even before this most recent controversy, comedian and showrunner Whitney Cummings announced her departure from the show, saying it was “due to work commitments and my tour schedule.” However, speculation was that Cummings wanted to distance herself from the series, and obviously its star.

Yesterday, ABC had the most-watched series on TV. Today, it’s all gone. It’s been a wild ride for the series, which was only announced a little more than a year ago. One has to wonder if President Trump will weigh in on the scandal and choose to back Barr, as he’s done in the past?