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We may be entering a new era with social media, one in which a simple after-the-fact apology doesn’t make everything better. In a stunning turn of events, ABC announced they’re canceling the Roseanne revival following a racist tweet from Roseanne Barr herself. Channing Dungey, president of ABC, said in a statement, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show.” The series was set to continue next fall.
According to Variety, the contentious comedian posted a tweet on Tuesday that attacked former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as looking like the offspring of “the Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” Jarrett is African-American and was born in Iran to American parents.
Barr deleted the tweet after writing it and posted “I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.” She soon followed with a direct apology to Jarrett, “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making bad jokes about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste.”
Also in bad taste is the reality that because of the star’s choice, hundreds of people who worked on the show are now out of a job. It’s doubtful Barr will do anything to compensate for that, but this event is a good reminder of the ripple effect of actions and consequences.
Costar Sara Gilbert condemned Barr’s actions and addressed the feelings of the cast and crew. “Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”
Though the show got high ratings — it was the first No. 1 show ABC has had in 24 years according to Variety – Roseanne’s antics have plagued it and divided viewers since the revival hit the air. In March, she propagated a fringe conspiracy theory about child sex-trafficking rings and also accused Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg of giving the Nazi salute. (This happened about the same time photos of her in a Nazi uniform with Hitler mustache were making the rounds.) Similar to this latest incident she deleted her controversial tweets as soon as the public backlash began.
Late Tuesday morning Barr’s agency, ICM, announced they were dropping her as a client as well, and while Barr has yet to address the show’s cancellation, hundreds of people are out of a job today, and it is for them we can find sympathy.
