US network cancels hit TV show after star’s bizarre, racist tweets
US television network ABC cancelled its hit reboot of Roseanne on Tuesday following star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet that referred to former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett as a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the “Planet of the Apes”.
ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said the comment “is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values”. Barr apologized and deleted her Monday-night tweet, calling it a “bad joke,” but the damage had already been done.
Late on Tuesday, Barr tweeted a second apology to the writers and co-stars of the show and urging people not to feel sorry for her. She also highlighted supporters’ tweets that criticised ABC and two of its personalities, Joy Behar and Keith Olbermann.
She also retweeted a meme that juxtaposed shots of President Donald Trump next to orangutans, and an
NEW YORK:
image of Jarrett next to a picture of a “Planet of the Apes” actress.
The defiant tweetstorm capped a day that saw Barr resoundingly criticised by fellow actors, cast mates and others, and abandoned by several companies, including her talent agency, ICM Partners.
The revival of the comedy was a surprise smash for ABC, owned by the Walt Disney Co, and was counted on to lead the network’s fortunes next season. Its first new episode in March was seen by more than 25 million people
Jarrett, who appeared at the taping of an MSNBC show about racism on Tuesday, said she hoped the incident could be turned into a teaching moment.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m worried about the people out there who don’t have a circle of friends and followers who come right to their defence.” AP