The comedienne and actress, Roseanne Barr, took to social media to release an apology, which she has since deleted, for her racist tweet. In her message, she asked fans to not feel sorry for her.
ABC canceled “Roseanne” Tuesday morning after the show’s lead, Roseanne Barr, let off a series of racist tweets the night prior. The tweets included a comment referring to former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as the offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.”
Barr apologized to Jarrett on Twitter Tuesday morning and announced she would be leaving the social media platform. However, shortly after the apology, “Roseanne” consulting producer Wanda Sykes tweeted she would not be returning to the show and ABC president Channing Dungey announced in a statement a condemnation of Barr’s tweets as well as news of the network’s decision to cancel the show.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” Dungey said.
The show had previously been renewed for another season, and that revival finished its first season as the number one scripted primetime television show in the 18-49 age range.
Barr’s tweet was her way of likening Jarrett, who was born to American parents in Shiraz, Iran, to a Planet of the Apes character. However, she’s now apologized again via Twitter asking people to not feel sorry for her.
She wrote that she was mainly sorry to those who lost their jobs on her show because of her tweet. Barr also revealed that her first interview after the controversy would be on the Joe Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, guys!! I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet.
According to AWM, Roseanne is pointing fingers for the reason her show was canceled at an unlikely target: Michelle Obama.
Before ABC’s announced that the series had been canceled, Wanda Sykes, who worked as a consulting producer on the series, shared that she would not be returning for the second season. The star did not offer an explanation for her departure but many speculated that it was a direct result of Barr’s comments.
The Roseanne revival had pulled in record ratings. It quickly earned an accolade for focusing on political matters which most people thought was due to Barr’s influence.
However, Dungey had announced that the revival’s second season, the series’ 11th total season, would shift focus away from politics and instead emphasize family.
Watch the video below for more details:
Sources: AWM, ABC News/Youtube
Leave a Comment