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Roseanne Barr apologises for ‘indefensible’ tweets

Roseanne Barr has apologised for her derogatory comments while also continuing to circulate questionable pictures.

Roseanne’s show has been cancelled. Picture: AFP.
Roseanne’s show has been cancelled. Picture: AFP.

UPDATE: Roseanne Barr has apologised for her comments comparing a former Barack Obama adviser to an ape.

But in a bizarre moment, the TV star retweeted a picture sent to her comparing US President Donald Trump to an orangutan and Valerie Jarrett as a character from Planet of the Apes.

A tweet retweeted by Roseanne Barr.
A tweet retweeted by Roseanne Barr.

Barr told her fans to stop “defending” her in the wake of the scandal, with her show cancelled.

She said made a “terrible mistake” which has caused “hundreds” of people to lose their jobs.

However her action of retweeting the Trump-orangutan picture seemed to directly contradict her own apology.

Barr has been widely condemned as stars, including her own co-stars, react with disgust to her comments.

Network Ten and US TV network ABC cancelled Barr’s hit show, Roseanne, after she sent a tweet referring to Valerie Jarrett as a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes.

Barr, 65, later deleted the tweet and apologised before saying she would be quitting Twitter. Ms Jarrett later told a town-hall meeting on racism that the episode was “a teaching moment.”

“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 defence,” she said.

However, the fury did not abate, with ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey announcing the cancellation of her show, and talent agency ICM Partners dropping the comedy star.

Roseanne Barr’s tweet about Valerie Jarrett.
Roseanne Barr’s tweet about Valerie Jarrett.

Barr’s co-star Sarah Gilbert labelled her comments “abhorrent,” adding: “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.”

Another of Barr’s co-stars, Emma Kenney, revealed she was planning to quit the show in protest at the comments when she heard it had been cancelled.

She tweeted: “I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable.

“As I called my manager to quit working on Roseanne, I was told it was cancelled. I feel so empowered by @iamwandasykes, Channing Dungey and anyone at ABC standing up for morals and abuse of power. Bullies will NEVER win.”

British actor Minnie Driver, who stars in ABC’s Speechless, wrote: “So proud of @ABCNetwork for having the ethical compunction to cancel #Rosanne despite the show’s huge numbers. We too make a show about a middle class family, come and watch us instead #speechless @Speechless_ABC.”

Film director Ava DuVernay posted a photo of Dungey, along with the words: “For the record, this is Channing Dungey. Sitting on top of your world like a Queen in full judgment of your garbage and taking it out. #Roseanne.”

And singer Cher also slammed Barr.

She said: “Feel sorry 4 cast and crew of Rosanne. Her racism left good ppl out in the cold, without jobs. Those ppl MUST pay bills, take care of their kids, or parents.”

Ms Jarrett told NBC News Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger had personally called her to tell her the ABC would be cancelling the show. “He wanted me to know before he made it public,” she said.

Network Ten announced it was cancelling Roseanne in Australia this morning, tweeting: “Network Ten has also confirmed it will be removing Roseanne from TEN and ELEVEN effective immediately.”

A Network Ten spokesperson said, “Network Ten is appalled and disgusted with Ms Barr’s racist tweet.”

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

The tweet was subsequently deleted by Ms. Barr. She apologised for it, saying she was “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.”

Ms. Barr also said she is leaving Twitter.

The decision to cancel her show is a stunning turn of events. ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co., brought Roseanne back this past spring more than two decades after it had ended its run and the show was an immediate smash hit.

George Clooney talks with Valerie Jarrett before a State Dinner with then president Barack Obama at the White house in Washington.
George Clooney talks with Valerie Jarrett before a State Dinner with then president Barack Obama at the White house in Washington.

The initial episode averaged nearly 20 million viewers and while subsequent viewing declined, it was still one of the big successes of the just-concluded television season.

This is not the first time that Ms Barr’s social-media activity has become a source of controversy. A supporter of President Donald Trump, Ms. Barr has used social media to take aim at his opponents and defend his policies as well as offer support at times for conspiracy theories.

Roseanne Barr and John Goodman with the cast of her hit show. Picture: ABC.
Roseanne Barr and John Goodman with the cast of her hit show. Picture: ABC.

Before the ABC’s statement, Wanda Sykes, a consulting producer on Roseanne this past season, said she would not return to the show next season.

In the past, ABC executives have expressed some angst about Ms Barr’s strong social-media presence potentially hurting the show.

Ms Barr also tweeted incorrectly Tuesday that Chelsea Clinton was married to a nephew of billionaire and Democratic backer George Soros. Corrected by Ms Clinton, Ms Barr apologised but then accused Mr Soros of being a Nazi.

ABC has already pulled tonight’s rerun of the show from its schedule.

The Wall St Journal

Read related topics:Barack Obama

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-wall-street-journal/roseanne-barrs-hit-show-cancelled-after-racist-tweets/news-story/f15b905e436910139df9b18f62b244fa