ABC drops Roseanne show after racist tweet
ABC TV network has cancelled comedian Roseanne Barr's sitcom after she posted a racist tweet likening an AfricanAmerican former Obama aide to an ape.
ABC said: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show."
Barr's tweet said Valerie Jarrett was the child of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes film.
The reboot of her hit '90s sitcom "Roseanne" has been a ratings hit.
The comedian deleted Monday night's original post, but could not contain the backlash.
"I apologise to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans," Barr wrote, after follow-up posts in which she defended her remarks as 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."
Barr's initial tweet came in response to another Twitter user, who accused Mrs Jarrett of helping to conceal purported spying during the Obama administration.
Mrs Jarrett was a senior adviser to former US President Barack Obama, and worked with him during his early days in Chicago politics.
She was born in Iran to AfricanAmerican parents. What else did Barr say? Mrs Jarrett was not the only target of Barr's Twitter tirade in recent days.
On Monday, the 65-year-old entertainer claimed Chelsea Clinton - daughter of former US President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton - was married to a relative of billionaire investor George Soros in a tweet.
Barr tweeted an apology to Ms Clinton on Tuesday.
Barr also alleged Mr Soros, who is Jewish, was a Nazi collaborator - a claim his spokesman labelled "an affront".
On Sunday, the comedian criticised the Obama family for signing on with Netflix to produce TV programmes and movies.
Barr - who ran unsuccessfully for the Green party's presidential nomination in 2012 - implied she was considering a White House bid someday.
The comedian wrote on Tuesday she was "now leaving Twitter".