Roseanne Barr apologises for racist ‘Planet of the Apes’ slur

ACTRESS Roseanne Barr has tearfully apologised, claiming she did not realise a Barack Obama adviser she compared to an ape was African-american.

Barr, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, had her sitcom cancelled last month after referring to Valerie Jarrett as the product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes.

In her first interview since the ABC network cancelled the revival of Roseanne, the star insisted: “I’m a loudmouth and all that stuff, but I’m not stupid. I never would have wittingly called a black person … say they are a monkey. I never would do that.”

Barr claimed that she had only discovered Ms Jarrett, a close friend of both Barack and Michelle Obama, was black when ABC executives called her to discuss her “egregious racism”.

She added: “I’m just so sorry that I was so unclear and stupid. I’m very sorry … I have loved ones who are African-american, and I just can’t stand it.”

Barr apologised to Ms Jarrett in the immediate aftermath of her remarks but later blamed the episode on the sleeping drug Ambien.

The interview, released yesterday by the podcast Stand Up NY, was conducted by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who has known Barr for 20 years.

The actress told him: “I caused pain for my family, I caused pain for my mother, I caused pain to the 200 outof-work actors that I loved. And the crew and writers.”

Her show, which first ran from 1988 to 1997, received critical praise when it was revived earlier this year.