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US network ABC cancels Roseanne reboot over racist tweets

HOURS after Roseanne Barr’s show was sensationally axed following her racist slur, the comedian has re-tweeted several comments fiercely defending her behaviour.

New York Post and staff writers
6 min read
May 30, 2018 - 5:18PM
News Corp Australia Network
The rise and fall of Roseanne

HOURS after Roseanne Barr’s show was sensationally axed following her racist slur, the comedian has re-tweeted several comments fiercely backing her behaviour, before asking fans to stop defending her.

Taking to Twitter, Barr said: “Hey guys, don’t defend me. It’s sweet of you 2 try, but ... losing my show is 0 compared 2 being labelled a racist over one tweet - that I regret even more.”

She also requested that people not boycott ABC as a result.

Her response comes after several users took to Twitter to claim the African-American former adviser to Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, whom Barr described as an “ape”, was “lighter” skinned and therefore the comment wasn’t racist.

“It’s not racist to say a white person looks like an ape,” a user wrote.

“Roseanne IS NOT A RACIST AND IT WAS A JOKE,” another slammed.

Roseanne Barr re-tweeted several angry comments.
Roseanne Barr re-tweeted several angry comments.

Barr has re-tweeted more than a dozen tweets from outraged fans, including ones that are calling on the ABC to stand down other employees who have previously not upheld their standards.

Roseanne re-tweeted this comment about boycotting the ABC.
Roseanne re-tweeted this comment about boycotting the ABC.

Despite her apparent bitterness about the situation, Barr posted a public apology, saying she deeply regretted her comments.

She also retweeted a Snopes article that debunks the claim that says Valerie Jarrett once said she wanted to “help America be a more Islamic country”.

Roseanne had referenced Islamist organisation Muslim Brotherhood in her comments about Jarrett.

The fallout started after the comedian went off on a bizarre Twitter rant attacking people including Barack Obama’s former senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is African-American.

She said the long-time, well respected political figure was what you would get if Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes “had a baby.”

“Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj,” she wrote.

Roseanne was earlier cancelled over the comedian’s racist tweets despite huge ratings for the reboot.

A statement by TV network ABC Entertainment slammed the comedian’s comments.

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

The axe fell on Roseanne despite the reboot of the sitcom being the highest rated show in the US this season. Re-runs of the original have also been axed.

Australian networks Channel Ten and ELEVEN have cut the show effective immediately, despite not all episodes of the revival having aired yet.

RENDEZVIEW: Thanks for costing me my favourite show Roseanne

Media giant Viacom is also reportedly pulling original Roseanne reruns and will no longer air episodes of the show on its Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT channels, The Wrap reported. The change will take effect tomorrow.

Roseanne with her co-stars in the rebooted sitcom, which has been a massive hit in the US. Picture: ABC
Roseanne with her co-stars in the rebooted sitcom, which has been a massive hit in the US. Picture: ABC

Barr’s tweet was in response to a news article about Jarrett’s alleged involvement in helping cover up CIA spying on the President of France.

Barr has since apologised for the offensive tweet and said she was leaving Twitter (as of this morning her account is still active). She also issued an apology “to Valerie Jarrett and all Americans” for her “bad joke”.

“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,” she tweeted.

Ms Jarrett has also addressed the scandal, saying it should be a “teaching moor brain too fast for fingerment about everyday racism in America.”

“I’m fine,” she said. “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.”

Barack Obama with senior advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Oval Office. Picture: AFP
Barack Obama with senior advisor Valerie Jarrett in the Oval Office. Picture: AFP

Barr fired off even more offensive tweets, which included a false claim that former US president Bill Clinton’s daughter Chelsea ​is married to billionaire George Soros’ nephew.

She repeated a false rumour that the billionaire investor, who is Jewish and survived the Holocaust, is a Nazi sympathiser and assisted the organisation during World War II​ despite the fact he was 13.

She said he was a “Nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth,” which was re-tweeted by President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.

In response to Clinton’s rebuttal, Barr tweeted, “CORRECTION: CHELSEA CLINTON IS NOT MARRIED TO A SOROS NEPHEW. HER HUSBAND IS THE SON OF A CORRUPT SENATOR, SO SORRY!”

A spokesman for Soros responded in a statement: “George Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary as a 13 year old child by going into hiding and assuming a false identity with the help of his father, who managed to save his own family and help many other Jews survive Holocaust,” the statement read.

“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.”

George Soros. Picture: AP
George Soros. Picture: AP
Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky. Picture: Getty
Chelsea Clinton and husband Marc Mezvinsky. Picture: Getty

Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of Disney, which owns ABC, addressed the abrupt move on Twitter.

“There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing,” he said.

Barr was also dropped from her agency, ICM Partners.

“We are all greatly distressed by the disgraceful and unacceptable tweet from Roseanne Barr this morning,” the agency’s leadership said in an internal memo, Deadline reported. “What she wrote is antithetical to our core values, both as individuals and as an agency. Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her. Effective immediately, Roseanne Barr is no longer a client.”

ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey has axed Roseanne.
ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey has axed Roseanne.
Star of the TV show, Roseanne Barr. Picture: Getty
Star of the TV show, Roseanne Barr. Picture: Getty

The shock​ing turn of events c​ame within ​hours of Barr’s tweets.

Before ABC swung the axe, comedian Wanda Sykes announced she was quitting as consulting producer of the hit revival, which debuted in March.

Sara Gilbert — who played Barr’s TV daughter Darlene Conner ​in both iterations of the show — tweeted just before the show was cancelled, voicing her disappointment in the actions of the program’s star.

Longtime Roseanne star Sandra Bernhard, who is also one of Barr’s closest friends, said she had “kinda had it” with the comedian.

“I’m really trying to breathe through it and stay in that ‘dedicated to the one I love’ mindset,” Bernhard said, referring to Barr. “But I gotta be honest with you — I’m kind of hitting a wall with this. Kinda bummed out. Kinda had it.”​

Sara Gilbert played Darlene in Roseanne. Picture: Getty Images
Sara Gilbert played Darlene in Roseanne. Picture: Getty Images
Emma Kenney starred as Harris in Roseanne. Picture: Pinterest
Emma Kenney starred as Harris in Roseanne. Picture: Pinterest

Emma Kenney, who played Roseanne’s granddaughter Harris on the new series, said she was “hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed” by Barr’s tweet.

She also said in a since-deleted tweet that she was about to quit the show before she learned it was cancelled.

John Goodman was seen out after the cancellation was announced. Picture: Mega
John Goodman was seen out after the cancellation was announced. Picture: Mega
The original Roseanne cast. Picture: ABC
The original Roseanne cast. Picture: ABC
Comic actor Wanda Sykes has spoken out against Roseanne. Picture: Supplied
Comic actor Wanda Sykes has spoken out against Roseanne. Picture: Supplied

CELEBRITIES REACT TO ROSEANNE CANCELLATION

Twitter lit up after Roseanne was cancelled.

Ex-husband Tom Arnold claimed that he was banned by ABC for calling Roseanne out on previous racist tweets.

Roseanne originally aired in the US from 1988 to 1997 but was brought back in March to rave reviews and ratings. Barr reprised her role as brash matriarch Roseanne Conner, an unabashed Trump supporter who’s at political odds with the rest of her family.

After the hour-long debut picked up a record 18.1 million viewers in the US, the comedy was picked up for a second season — its 11th overall.

After the show’s ratings success Donald Trump called the comedian personally to congratulate her.

CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE BEEN FIRED

CHARLIE SHEEN

Charlie Sheen’s axing was one of the biggest stories of the year. Picture: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images
Charlie Sheen’s axing was one of the biggest stories of the year. Picture: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

The highest-paid actor on TV was sensationally fired from hit show Two and A Half Men after bizarre behaviour, including several offensive rants in interviews, allegations of assault, drug and alcohol problems and numerous rehab stints. CBS announced in March 2011 Sheen had been axed. His character was killed off the show and replaced by Ashton Kutcher.

MEL GIBSON

Mel Gibson had a string of meltdowns that lead to him being dropped by his agent. Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images
Mel Gibson had a string of meltdowns that lead to him being dropped by his agent. Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images

The Australian actor was dropped by his agency after an audio recording leaked of his disgraceful racist tirade to the mother of his child, Oksana Grigorieva. “You look like a f***ing b***h in heat, and if you get raped by a pack of n***ers, it will be your fault,” Gibson could be heard saying on a voicemail, which surfaced in July 2010. His long-term agent William Morris Endeavor Entertainment announced they would no longer be representing the Oscar winner.

KATHY GRIFFIN

Kathy Griffin during a news conference to discuss her motivation behind a photo of her holding what appeared to be a prop depicting US President Donald Trump's bloodied, severed head. Picture: AFP/Mark Ralston
Kathy Griffin during a news conference to discuss her motivation behind a photo of her holding what appeared to be a prop depicting US President Donald Trump's bloodied, severed head. Picture: AFP/Mark Ralston

Broadcaster CNN ended its long-term deal with comedian Kathy Griffin after she posted a video clip of herself holding a bloody decapitated head that appeared to be President Donald Trump. “CNN has terminated our agreement with Kathy Griffin to appear on our New Year’s Eve program,” a tweet read. Griffin was axed in May last year after having hosted the coverage since 2007.

ISAIAH WASHINGTON

Isaiah Washington, as Dr Preston Burke, on the set of Grey's Anatomy.
Isaiah Washington, as Dr Preston Burke, on the set of Grey's Anatomy.

The popular Grey’s Anatomy star was famously fired from the hit medical show after inappropriate on-set behaviour, including an allegation of assault against the show’s main star Patrick Dempsey. He also reportedly made an anti-gay slur about fellow co-star T.R Knight, which caused uproar among gay groups and his colleagues, including Katherine Heigl. He was eventually fired in August 2007 after months of scrutiny.

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