ABC Cancelled ‘Roseanne’ After Racist Tweet From The Star…
Those of you hoping to catch the ‘Roseanne‘ revival, I wouldn’t hold your breath… US network ABC has just cancelled the highly rated series following a tirade of racist and anti-semitic tweets from the star herself this morning.
The incident occurred this morning when Roseanne Barr tweeted out a comment comparing Valerie Jarrett, a former Obama adviser, to a being the offspring of “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes”. She did later delete the tweet, attempt to apologise and said she was leaving Twitter, saying “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans, am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me, my joke was in bad taste.” But the damage was already done, drawing outrage from cast members, show writers and the general public.
It wasn’t too long after that ABC released a statement saying her show, which had been renewed for an 11th Season, was now cancelled. “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” commented ABC Entertainment Chief Channing Dungey.
Sara Gilbert, who plays one of Roseanne’s on-screen daughters, tweeted:
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.
— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018
Once news of the cancellation landed she followed that up saying:
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.
— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018
Wanda Sykes, who stars in ‘Black-ish’ and was serving as a consulting producer on the ‘Roseanne’ revival, had also tweeted (before ABC announced the cancellation) she would not be returning to the series due to Barr’s comments.
Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, who owns ABC, added his comments once the news of the cancellation broke saying “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”
The ‘Roseanne’ revival had been a smash hit when it returned earlier in the year to the network, drawing huge audiences for ABC and was a shoe-in for renewal. Just goes to show you, you have the right to say what you like, but actions have consequences…
1 comment
Consequences for other people, too. I mean, there are ususally a couple hundred people involved in making a TV show (other cast members, behind the camera crew, catering staff, etc.). This woman’s behaviour just cost all of them their job.
(I remember once hearing a show lead actor – I think it was in an behind the scenes video for the old Angel show – stating that as the central show protagonist, he may get the big bucks, but it’s also a position with a tremendous amount of responsibility. The entire production stands or falls with you, and everyone’s job depends on you being able to continue the show with no lengthy interruptions in the shooting schedule. So you simply do not have the right to do stuff like do your own stunts, take up a dangerous hobby that could get you injured, or start taking drugs. Or, these days, behave so badly in public that you become a dead albatross around the neck of your employer, so they have to fire you just to avoid bad PR…)
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