Roseanne fallout
She put us through hell!
She became an unlikely global superstar in the ’80s and ’90s with her unapologetically blunt, blue-collar character in the sitcom Roseanne – and for a while, it looked like the actress had made a sensational return to the top with the show’s highrating comeback.
But then Roseanne Barr did something even her crass alter ego would have found appalling, comparing one of Barack Obama’s former advisors to an ape and a terrorist in a racist Twitter
rant. It was an act that saw her rebooted series swiftly cancelled, despite it being one of the year’s biggest TV hits.
The 65-year-old comedy star – who later claimed to have been under the influence of a powerful sedative – issued an apology “to the hundreds of people, wonderful writers and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet”.
But it was too late to save Roseanne and now the star’s colleagues are letting loose, painting a picture of a mean-spirited, bigoted
actress with fringe political beliefs that made her a ticking time bomb. “It was like having an older relative with differing political opinions on set – don’t bring it up,” a network insider tells
Woman’sDay. “They were careful not to set her off.”
Tellytyrant
“Dealing with Roseanne and her ultraconservative whims was a struggle,” continues one of the show’s writers, adding that the comedienne did little to hide her cruelty, making work a nightmare for cast and crew.
Roseanne was notoriously difficult in the show’s original heyday, regularly firing the sitcom’s writers when she thought the scenes weren’t funny enough. And she got worse when she moved on to doomed talk programme The
RoseanneShow, demanding producers buy her a new lakeside home as well as pay her $7 million salary.
When ratings flopped,
the actress-turned- actres presenter allegedly al left obscene messages on her colleagues’ phones late at night and refused to help drum up publicity with interviews or photo shoots.
A staffer recalls, “She would tell us the infomercial she was watching was better than her show and that we were ruining her life.”
ABC, the US network responsible for the sitcom’s reboot, “knew that Roseanne was controversial, but they didn’t think she’d be so utterly stupid”, reports our insider, adding that the cancellation has cost the company $85 million in advertising.
But it’s her fellow actors who are hurting the most. “They are all utterly wrecked,” says the insider. “The younger co-stars are confused and mad, and the veteran actors are furious at Roseanne.”
Badwrap!
“They 100% feel betrayed,” continues a crew member. “They knew Roseanne was a livewire, but they didn’t think she was this selfdestructive or that she’d take the whole cast and crew down with her. The
show could have continued and provided years of security for everyone, but that’s all gone now.”
Another industry source adds, “Everyone on the show is avoiding her calls. Nobody can believe she’d be capable of something so twisted.”
After Roseanne’s racist tweet, actress Sara Gilbert – who played her daughter Darlene and was also an executive producer – called her words “abhorrent and repugnant”, adding, “I’m disappointed in her actions to say the least.”
Roseanne’s on-screen granddaughter Emma Kenney tweeted, “Bullies will never win,” while her co-star Alicia Goranson added, “I’m devastated. But more devastating are the effects of hate speech and racism on individuals and society.”
There’s talk of the cast and crew suing Roseanne for a loss of income, and also rumours of the show continuing without its lead actress, much like Two
andaHalfMen did without Charlie Sheen following the actor’s meltdown.
Already, comedy superstars Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling have offered to help get it made, but Roseanne co-owns the brand, and although she has publicly pledged to make amends, our insider says, “Good luck trying to get her to agree.”
Roseanne has looked stressed and shattered in the wake of the show’s cancellation, with her bitter ex-husband Tom Arnold claiming she was purposefully trying to get her sitcom cancelled amid “mental health issues”.
Either way, our insider claims, “Roseanne is self-destructive. It’s only going to get worse for her. She’s still in shock.”