Barr, Trump revel in “Roseanne” success
Roseanne Barr is reveling in Donald Trump’s support for her returning sitcom’s impressive debut, which the president says was a cultural and political breakthrough.
“It was a thrill to get a congratulatory phone call from The President of The United States of America,” Barr tweeted Thursday, two days after ABC’S “Roseanne” reboot drew an estimated 18.4 million viewers.
In the updated “Roseanne,” Barr’s support for Trump is shared by her character. For the president, it’s a rare bright spot among the major TV series, award ceremonies and late-night shows that regularly skewer him.
Trump seized on its ratings during a speech Thursday in Richfield, Ohio, that was to be about infrastructure but hopscotched through other topics.
He credited producer Mark Burnett, who brought Trump to reality TV in “The Apprentice,” for breaking the good news about “Roseanne.”
“He said, ‘Donald, I called just to say hello and to tell you, did you see Roseanne’s ratings?’ I said, ‘Mark, how big were they?’ ” Trump recounted.
“And it was about us,” the president continued. “They haven’t figured it out, the fake news hasn’t quite figured it out yet . ... But they will and when they do they’ll become much less fake.”
White House officials confirmed the Wednesday night phone call from Trump to Barr. They did not say whether Trump had watched the show.
The updated sitcom starring Barr and her original co-stars returned more than two decades after the first one ended its hit run.