‘Roseanne’s quick cancellation shows power of diversity
ABC president Channing Dungey took swift action. She was in a rare position to be able to do something.
Roseanne is canceled, and Channing Dungey is the woman many are crediting for ABC’s decisive move.
Dungey, the first African-American woman to lead a broadcast network, shocked many with her cancellation of the network’s top series Tuesday, within hours of star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.
The quick decision, and the nononsense language with which Dungey delivered it, were met with praise from critics who called it the right move. So was ABC, which had the foresight to hire a woman of color into the traditionally white, male-dominated executive level.
“The reason it was handled in the way it was handled is that there was someone of color in an executive position,” says Shawn Edwards, film critic at Fox 4 News WDAF in Kansas City, Mo. “And that makes all the difference in the world.”
Edwards, co-founder of the African American Film Critics Association, says Dungey especially understood the context and meaning of Barr’s tweet, as well as the damage, and was in a rare position to do something about it.
“That’s a huge change from the past. It’s why some things have gone unchecked or misunderstood in the past — there was no one of color in a position of power who understood the damage of similar egregious or controversial comments,” Edwards says.
“We have to ask, if she (was) not in that room, in that position, what happens?” says Robin Harrison, director of the NAACP’s Hollywood Bureau. “Would the show have been canceled, or would Roseanne’s apology and reason have been accepted and she’s al-
lowed to continue to spew racism? Would there be the same understanding and cultural consciousness about what is racism?”
As Hollywood’s executive suites remain dominated by white men, that a woman of color served as the face of the network’s decision to expel its most popular star for racist rhetoric is not just a matter of optics.
Dungey, a longtime drama development executive, was named ABC’s programming chief in February 2016, her rise underscoring how few executives at Hollywood’s highest levels are nonwhite. A 2016 USC study found that ABC’s parent Walt Disney Company largely succeeded in including women and underrepresented characters on screen, and “approached balance” in its hiring practices behind the camera for diverse writers and show creators. But overall, Hollywood boardrooms remain nearly 80% male.
“It’s indicative of a corporation that is trying to be the leader in terms of inclusion, in terms of standing up for the right things,” Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, says of ABC’s quick decision.
“That a black woman stood up and said, ‘This is not acceptable anymore,’ it’s very good,” he says.
Nogales points out that other Disney stakeholders were equally important in the decision, including the company’s CEO, president Bob Iger, indicating the culture is shifting. “You can be sure that Iger had a lot to say about this. And I ap- plaud them for that, and I especially applaud Dungey for being the one to deliver the message.”
Martha Lauzen, head of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film and a professor at San Diego State University, also emphasizes that the same actions may have been taken by any executive.
“I would not make an essentialist argument that this decision could only be made by a person of color,” Lauzen says. “However, as individuals with more diverse backgrounds assume positions of power behind the scenes, it is less likely that racist behavior and statements will be tolerated.”
Though ABC hasn’t been immune to controversy during Dungey’s tenure, she has been a champion of diversity. She’s worked with producer Shonda Rhimes to advance Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder; green-lighted Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat, sitcoms depicting non-white families; and hired producers such as Kenya Barris ( Black-ish) and Nahnatchka Khan ( Fresh Off the Boat).
And while the fallout surrounding the show’s abrupt ending will continue, advocates say ABC’s decision is proof of incremental change in an industry that’s often slow to progress.
“She’s showing that Hollywood has a social and corporate responsibility like other industries to promote ideas and work environments that make us better,” Harrison says. “It’s about accountability — whether it’s institutions or people, the public is demanding accountability for one’s actions, and Hollywood is not exempt.”