Hit sitcom Roseanne axed over racist tweet row
US television network ABC on Tuesday cancelled the hit comedy Roseanne, after its star Roseanne Barr aimed a racist tweet at a former adviser to Barack Obama.
The 65-year-old sitcom actress — a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump who has used Twitter to voice far-right and conspiracy theorist views — took aim at the aide, Valerie Jarrett, in a post that read: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj.”
After a barrage of criticism on social media, Barr apologised to Jarrett and to “all Americans” for what she called a “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. “I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.”
But her belated mea culpa was not enough for ABC, which said it was pulling the plug on Barr’s show over the “abhorrent, repugnant” tweet, which was “inconsistent with our values”.
Likewise, Barr’s talent agency ICM said its teams were “greatly distressed by the disgraceful and unacceptable tweet”.
“Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her. Effective immediately, Roseanne Barr is no longer a client,” the agency said in a statement.
Roseanne was rebooted in March after a gap of 21 years with Barr’s character controversially recast as a Trump supporter.
The show had been renewed for an 11th season after scoring huge ratings and generally positive reviews for its Season 10 opener — including from the president who appreciated the new pro-Trump perspective.
“There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing,” said Bob Iger, the head of ABC’s parent company Disney, in a tweet posted moments after ABC pulled the plug.
Roseanne offered a rare depiction of working-class life on US television, but it also spotlighted Trump supporters, who have been largely ignored by Hollywood.
Barr revealed that the president had called personally to congratulate her on the show’s success.
“I’ve always tried to have it be a true reflection of the society we live in,” Barr said of the sitcom in January.
“I feel like half the people voted for Trump and half didn’t, so it’s just realistic.”
In March, Barr tweeted out a conspiracy theory falsely accusing David Hogg, a survivor of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida, of giving a Nazi salute at a march.
The backlash to her latest tweet was swift, with public figures from actors Rosie O’Donnell and Don Cheadle to CNN analyst April Ryan and civil rights activist Al Sharpton calling out Barr.
African-American comedian Wanda Sykes, a consulting producer on Roseanne, announced before the cancellation that she would not be returning to the show in any case.
“We welcome the swift and appropriate action taken by ABC and hope it sends a message that the promotion of hatred and bigotry will not be accepted by our nation’s entertainment industry,” said Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.