In case you haven’t heard, Roseanne Barr really stepped in it today…
It all started when the 65-year-old comedienne fired off string of awful tweets this morning, including one that attacked former President Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, calling her a Muslim ape.
Replying to a tweet accusing the former White House staffer of alleged coverups during the Obama administration, Barr wrote: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” using Jarrett’s initials.
Related: ABC officially cancels ‘Roseanne’ after the star’s racist Twitter tirade
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A backlash ensued. Barr deleted her tweet and issued an apology, but execs at ABC weren’t having it. Hours later, the network announced it had pulled the plug on her show’s second season, which was already in pre-production.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.
Twitter was quick to react to the news, with many people applauding the network for (finally) standing up to Barr’s racism:
For the record, this is Channing Dungey. Sitting on top of your world like a Queen in full judgement of your garbage and taking it out. #Roseanne pic.twitter.com/GxEP2B61uq
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 29, 2018
Roseanne’s show got chopped down like a Civil War statue.
— Touré (@Toure) May 29, 2018
But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one’s actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) May 29, 2018
Fox News watchers/Trump Supporters when they read #Roseanne was cancelled…. pic.twitter.com/AvH9KkgRqY
— ?.?.?. ??. ??????? (@DAMNlookatHIM) May 29, 2018
congratulations to roseanne on her acceptance into the right-wing grievances speaking and writing circuit, a lifetime appointment
— matt ? lubchansky (@Lubchansky) May 29, 2018
Of course, Trump supporters have had a much different response.
They’ve reacted to the cancellation as one might expect: by accusing ABC of silencing conservative voices and freaking out that freedom of speech is officially DEAD and calling for everyone to #standwithroseanne and #boycottABC!
Roseanne Barr show cancelled because conservative's do not have free speech.
The left puts out horrible jokes everyday and it suppose to be funny , But make a joke about them and they want you dead.#BoycottABC pic.twitter.com/j533MtdoEB— JESSE JAMES (@1bigbeer) May 29, 2018
#BoycottABC ABC YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE. NOW TAKE YOUR LOW RATINGS AND IN JOY IT.
— rick dunaway (@rickdun) May 29, 2018
The 30+ million viewers who watched Roseanne should boycott the network. Hit them where it hurts. We aren’t going to accept the liberal bias while this network still employs people who have personally attacked our President and this administration. #BoycottABC
— Stephen Barrell (@BarelySmall) May 29, 2018
I Hate @ABCNetwork and everything it stands for. I will never ever watch ABC again. #BoycottABC
— Trump Strong ???? (@trump__strong) May 29, 2018
#BoycottABC Hey all you dumbasses who want Roseanne off the air. She fights MK Ultra programming & human trafficking. She made a mistake and apologized. She did not rape a child. How come you people don't boycott all media who employ known child rapists?
— kgtmagic (@kgtmagic49) May 29, 2018
The left can portray POTUS in the most degrading and dehumanizing way, but @therealroseanne makes a bad joke and the left goes insane.
HYPOCRITES! #ISTANDWITHROSEANNE #BoycottABC
— The Truth Paradox (@TheTruthParadox) May 29, 2018
Shame on ABC, I don’t see them canceling there late nite show yet, they trash the President every nite, not right. #boycottABC
— blondiedag (@blondiedag) May 29, 2018
First they came after Tim Allen. Now they are after @therealroseanne. Next, they are coming after you. #BoycottABC #BoycottABCNetwork
— Conservatarian Press?? (@conservpressnow) May 29, 2018
In other Roseanne news, in addition to having her show canceled, she’s also been dropped by her talent agency ICM Partners.
“What she wrote is antithetical to our core values, both as individuals and as an agency. Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her. Effective immediately, Roseanne Barr is no longer a client,” the agency said in a statement this afternoon.
We said it once already today and we’ll say it again…
Related: Conservative snowflakes are freaking out over the cancelation of that Tim Allen sit-com
Mandrake
This is BS. ABC canceled the highest rated comedy, and FOX will pick it right up! Give it the rest of the week. It generates too much gold for another network not to think that they should snatch it right up. In fact, Barr is not stupid. She may have deliberately tweeted her rant so ABC would cancel it and she could get a better deal.
Kieru
The tweet that ended her show is pretty consistent with the sort of comments she makes regularly; I doubt it was something deliberate to secure moving the show to a more conservative network. Just Roseanne sticking her foot in her mouth.
And as much as Roseanne’s 10th season is spoken of as a strong comeback, live viewing just doesn’t agree. Since its initial 2-episode premiere the show has been seeing a steady decline in views. It premiered to 18.44 million viewers and the latest episodes have all brought in around 10 to 10.5 million. Still strong numbers, but a steady decline that probably makes the show not worth the trouble of hiring a PR person to spin all of Roseanne’s tweets.
QueerTruth
It’s not the highest rated comedy. For the couple months it’s been on the air, the numbers have dropped significantly- each week. ABC is in last place for viewers, tied with- yep- Fox.
Sorry Charlie.
Incidentally. why you would want to support or defend a racist is beyond me. It’s sad to see and if you’re a gay person- it’s criminal.
dwes09
And let’s not forget that FOX is not FOX NEWS. They have a different mindset and are decidedly more centrist than the news network.
man5996853
Disney owns Fox. Not going to happen.
The channels that air her show via syndication have removed all airings from the rotation.
No one will touch her.
Teddy Ready
In response to the ABC Television Network for pulling the plug on One of the Most Popular Sitcom Shows in TV History, I think it was the Right Thing to Do. Although it may not seem fair when TV History has probably allowed other Entertainment Shows in the past to get by with similar offenses, ABC has decided that their Network in Today’s Time and Space cannot reap the Consequences of outrage and boycotts in advertising and ratings the Network would have to Endure if they allowed the Show to Move forward. It is quite sad to me because I have been a big fan of the TV Sitcom since it began in the late 1980’s. But I suffice it to say that although I believe in Free Speech and the Freedom of Press, as a National Community it would be irresponsible and quite Negligent to not discontinue the program that all Americans as Diverse as it is in Nationalities, Ethnicities and Cultures.
mrmcbubbles
The Fox entertainment division isn’t conservative like the news division is.
DCguy
The desperation to invent a scenario to cover up that she was a idiot who tweeted something racist is really surprising.
FOX Entertainment just got purchased by Disney, they aren’t going to pick it up.
Oh, also, it’s ratings had dropped by around 40% since the premiere and NCIS actually beat it recently so it was already dropping. ABC is probably glad to get rid of her.
mrmcbubbles
Why do people keep saying “they got purchased”? They are going to get purchased (maybe) it’s still not finalized.
ivanw222
If FOX picks it up, it is very unlikely half of the cast would return. A better solution would be to have Roseanne die off, heart attack? And rename the show with the remaining cast.
Brian
Maybe Sandy Duncan is available?
Kieran
Roseanne was the undisputed STAR of “Roseanne”. Her wooden co-stars just helped her looked even more talented by comparison.
PinkoOfTheGange
I think ABC owns the rights to the show for the next three years.
Paco
Well, Murphy Brown is returning so the conservative snowflake meltdown will continue.
MacAdvisor
If a show can fire Valerie Harper, from a show called Valerie, and keep the show on the air, I suppose they Roseanne Barr from a show called Roseanne.
topsyturvy
Maybe they can get Sandy Duncan to come in as Cousin Sandy. )Or have Christopher Plummer take over as Roseanne.)
SoloMcDaniel
I’d guess a lot of these conservatives were calling for ABC to cancel Roseanne after her national anthem performance back in 1990. But now that she’s wrapped herself in the “Trump blanket”, they now view this as not just an injustice to Roseanne but Trump also.
Her tweet today was racist and dehumanizing.
MikeM
Her talent agency dropped her, too. Without legal representation, she can’t negotiate a new deal even if one was offered. And everyone else in the cast and crew would have to agree to jump ship as well. Wouldn’t happen. They all yammer about Kathy Griffin: she was fired from all endorsement deals she had and all of her remaining shows in her tour were cancelled. She always worked for herself, so they only true person who could “fire” her was herself. As it was, she had to leave the country to get work. No comparison.
Keebler ILF
I wouldn’t say that Kathy Griffin fired herself. Don’t forget, some places would not allow Kathy to perform because they were getting bomb threats.
Brian
I really don’t get the Kathy Griffin comparisons. These are the same people who were gleeful about all the fallout Kathy dealt with, now suddenly she got preferential treatment because she’s a liberal? So dumb.
justsimple
ABC says it was inconsistent with their values. What values are those? There is probably a need for an explanation of what their values consist of. Look at the content they produce. It’s not all Disney magic.
Does the View represent those values.
Just odd double standards. Not consistent.
We all have choices. Let’s see if somone else picks up the show.
Waiting for ABC to tell us what values we should. The Bachelor must be the answer.
PinkoOfTheGange
The View is under the news department. It has always been a place for tension, and their advertisers and viewers are aware of that.
justsimple
So the View is news by ABC and that’s permitted….weak argument.
If your taking a stand be equal across the board. Remember ABC used the word values.
dwes09
There is nothing racist about The View. Admittedly though the Bachelor franchise is grotesque and warped (but tons of fun to watch in a demolition derby sort of way).
jpcolter
You have never heard anything on the few that remotely resembles what Rosanna said in those tweets. Be real and be honest. Or don’t comment – that would be better.
Brian
I am the first person to say that the word “racism” has been bastardized to the point of meaningless. I also think that the witchhunt going on in the entertainment industry has gotten ridiculous, and that we’re on a slippery slope to Fahrenheit 451 levels of censorship.
Having said that, unless they’re literally in a monkey costume, calling a black person an ape is indefensible. To try to equate this to anything that has ever been said on the view is asinine.
ElliotSpencer
Okay okay
DCguy
I love it when right wingers try to “INSINUATE” that something is the same.
So Please point out WHAT on “The View” is the same as Roseanne’s blatant racism in calling black women apes? Waiting….
Oh, and don’t forget, she called Susan Rice the same thing a few years ago. Funny how she only unpacks that word “Ape” when she’s talking about Black women.
Alan55
For those looking for looking for Fox to pick “Roseanne” up, don’t get your hopes up. it may happen. It may not. But think of it like this. If Fox offers her a contract, they are taking a chance on losing profits due to the boycott that would come with it. Roseanne’s show does not trump (pun intended) advertising dollars and the profit made from them. So, for Fox to be willing to take a chance on “Roseanne”, they would have to be willing to take a chance on a boycott of their network and the companies that advertise on their network as well. “Last Man Standing” won’t cause a boycott. It wasn’t a controversial show when it was on. “Roseanne” will. So ask yourself if you honestly think a company would be willing to risk a drop in profits over a television show.
tampaed
Do you have a clue who owns Fox entertainment? Not gonna happen as long as disneys in charge LOL
jason_melvil
It’s not going to happen because Fox Entertaiment is not Fox News
It’s not going to happen because Fox is being bought by Disney who also owns ABC
It’s not going to happen because the big money for sitcoms is streaming or syndication. If ABC would have given the streaming right, it would obviously be for the Disney streaming service they are building to compete with Netflix. Now if Fox buys the show who would stream it? Yep, some people.
If ABC wasn’t going to profit from it, neither does Fox.
thisisnotreal
For the conservatives or anyone else crying foul for Roseanne being fired in response to her twitter post despite all the other thing that are said about countless other people on a daily basis like trump, I think Ricky Gervais twitter response sums it up quite nicely “This wasn’t censorship. This was business. She hasn’t been prosecuted. She hasn’t been silenced. She can carry on saying what she wants. It’s just that her employers have decided they don’t want to employ her any more. This is freedom. ”
MikeM
Exactly. The first amendment doesn’t say “freedom of speech without consequences.” You have the right to speak out but that doesn’t mean you can’t be fired for it.
dwes09
What constitutional Freedom of Speech assures is that the government will not prosecute you for expressing views unfavorable to them. Trump (if we are to be honest here) treads perilously close to undermining this when he threatens our free press for publishing true and verifiable things that paint “The Leader” in a less than glorious light.
The government is not coming after Roseanne, just as it did not come after Kathy Griffin, as it was clear she was not actually making a threat against Trump but just exercising very bad taste.
Roan
Please. Comparing The View and Roseanne Barr is apples to oranges. Good job, whataboutists.
Heywood Jablowme
“Take Donald Trump. Forget his statements as president or on the ‘Access Hollywood’ bus. He began peddling the birther slur — that Mr. Obama, the first black president, was not born in the United States — while the fourth ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ was on NBC. The network kept him as host for three more seasons, and aired one more on which he was executive producer.”
– James Poniewozik, The New York Times, May 29, 2018
Brian
“Were the Trumpanzees screaming when she jacked up the National Anthem?”
You must not have been alive when that happened. Because, yes, it caused a huge shitstorm. That’s why it’s still remembered so easily 25 years later.
Sam6969
As an outside observer, I do not get why they would punish the whole crew over the words of a single person. It looks quite extreme to me. Aren’t there any nuances between doing nothing and cancelling completely a show? For instance, having Roseanne Barr’s income from the show reduced by 20%?
DCguy
People were already starting to call for boycotts against her advertisers. So no, if ABC loses advertising money, there is no reason to keep the show on the air. The show had already dropped by 40% from it’s premiere, and had been causing them trouble.
Trust me if ABC cancelled it, it’s because they looked at everything and figured it was better for them to cancel the show than to keep rewarding Roseanne for her racism.
Sam6969
That’s the problem: I am not sure they thought out properly their decision (taken in a few hours’ time). After this rightful outcry, they could have financially penalized RB and used this show as a way to fight further against racism through dedicated intelligent scripts…including Roseanne Barr. THAT would have been a wise move…Of course, it is just my opinion, certainly based on incomplete data.
tampaed
Don’t think for a second that Fox entertainment is going to pick up rb’s disgusting show. Remember who owns Fox Entertainment (NOT Fox news) DISNEY the same corp that just dumped the dumbass barr.
Hopefully this repugnant POS is done for once and for all. Go back to your stupid farm beatch!
rbernard
There is some disparaging words said between Roseanne Barr and some of the key cast members. What has been said, can’t be unsaid and I doubt the genie can be put back into the bottle or the show could be salvaged, with the original cast intact, and ported over to another network.
I just read ABC is brainstorming on ways to keep the cast together, sans, Roseanne, and reconstitute the casting team into a similar, but different show.
Doug
Notice how many of the tweets listed above have poor spelling? Every time conservatives start whining I’m always astounded by how so many of them can’t spell.
This is the typical rant: we’ll say whatever we want and offend anyone we want, and then we’ll call you snowflakes when you react… when there are consequences, however, they go into their own snowflake snit and won’t take any responsibility for their actions. They’re like bratty, spoiled children.
OzJosh
Seriously? You’re calling people who have reservations about Roseanne being fired “conservative snowflakes”? I always thought it was conservatives who liked to ban books, establish blacklists and limit freedom of speech? I’m not for one second defending Roseanne or anything she said. But I do think axing the show is an over-reaction, and one that is rather akin to shooting oneself in the foot. First, whatever the real Roseanne’s views, the screen Roseanne was (thanks to the writers, producers or Roseanne when she’s not medicated) a beacon of acceptance and tolerance. Surely it’s possible to censure Real Roseanne, without eradicating the Screen Roseanne who has championed gays and, yes, fought racism. Surely Screen Roseanne teaching DJ not to be mean to black kids is more important and impactful than Real Roseanne sending a mean tweet? Then there’s the question of punishing not just Roseanne (who will actually just retreat to her idyllic Hawaiian retreat, totally unscathed), but a hundred or more cast and crew, some of whom will take a serious financial hit and possibly not be able to book another gig at short notice. Finally, there’s the issue of whether blacklisting Roseanne and axing her show is what’s best for debate about racism. I would have thought using what she tweeted for a civilised debate – a teaching moment – might have been more productive than merely driving this kind of thoughtless racist sentiment underground, where it can seethe and ferment into something more sinister. Because bludgeoning transgressors into silence and ensuring that they never work again is, to me, something conservatives (of the non-snowflake variety) would do.
DCguy
Roseanne proved that the plotline of the nice, open-minded, not bigoted Trump supporters was B.S. She is a racist conspiracy theorist and was pushing that on the show.
If there was any value in retaining it you wouldn’t have had major staff quitting. They know who she is.