Is ‘racist’ Roseanne
HIT FAMILY: Barr, Goodman and Gilbert (top left) in the show’s1988 debut ONTROVERSIAL comedian Roseanne Barr was last night fighting to save her career following uproar over her vile racist tweet. Barr went into apology mode after comparing Barack Obama’s former aide Valerie Jarrett to a love child of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet Of The Apes but blamed it on having taken a sedative.
After her resurrected Roseanne show was dumped by US network ABC she said: “It was Ambien tweeting,” referring to the drug commonly taken as a sleeping pill which can have blackout side-effects. Barr then said she “honestly thought” Jarrett “was Jewish and Persian” and “mistakenly thought she was white”. But though Jarrett was born in Iran, her parents are African-American.
Finally Barr issued a lengthy statement in which she apologised “for making a thoughtless joke that does not reflect my values – I love all people and am very sorry. Today my words caused hundreds of hard-working people to lose their jobs.
“I also sincerely apologise to the audience that has embraced my work for decades. I apologise from the bottom of my heart and hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.”
But yesterday she was under fire from all sides. In a statement on Tuesday, Channing Dungey, the first African-American president of ABC, said: “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show.”
Her statement was supported by Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, which owns ABC.
Co-star Sara Gilbert, who has played daughter Darlene since the series originally began in 1988 and was an executive producer of the revived sitcom, also condemned Barr’s outburst, saying: “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. This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of and that audiences love – one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”