‘Roseanne’ canceled by ABC following Roseanne Barr's racist Twitter rant
ABC has canceled its hit but controversial series 'Roseanne' following a racist rant by its leading star Roseanne Barr, a statement by the network said.
The revival of the hit late 80s and 90s sitcom pushed the bar quite a bit when it came to political correctness, with its stance at variance with liberal Hollywood when it came to US President Donald Trump.
However, ABC seems to finally have had enough with Barr's Twitter attack on former President Barack Obama's aide Valerie Jarrett, who is black.
In her tweet which has since been deleted, Roseanne said if “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”
ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in the network's statement, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
Barr has since apologized for her tweet, but as Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' pointed out, "Roseanne Barr compared Valerie Jarrett to an ape. There is no apology she can make that justifies @ABC turning a blind eye to this bigotry by airing another second of her show. Even in the Age of Trump, there are red lines that can never be crossed. This is one."
Comedian Wanda Sykes tweeted saying she would not be returning to the sets of 'Roseanne' post the racist tweets.
Meanwhile, Sara Gilbert, who plays Roseanne's daughter on the ABC show, tweeted that Barr's comments are "abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show."
She further 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 insensitive "joke' has cost many people their jobs.