Within hours of Roseanne Barr sending a tweet with racially charged comments about a former member of the Obama administration, ABC announced it was cancelling “Roseanne” — one of the network’s biggest hits of the past TV season.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC said.
Disney CEO Bob Iger took to Twitter to add, “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”
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Earlier Tuesday, in a tweet that has since been deleted, Barr suggested former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett was the result of the “Muslim brotherhood & Planet of the Apes” having a baby.
The comments drew immediate criticism and Barr attempted to apologize.
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I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I 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.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
Shortly after Barr’s original tweet, Wanda Sykes said she would not be returning to the show as its consulting producer.
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Sara Gilbert, who plays Barr’s daughter on the ABC sitcom, also criticized Barr’s comments, saying they are “abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show.”
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
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“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,” Gilbert said in a another tweet.
Prior to ABC’s announcement, Barr was blasted on Twitter for her comments, with several demanding ABC cancel her show.
The comparison by Rosanne Barr on ABC of Former Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett to an APE is racist and inexcusable. ABC must take action NOW!
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 29, 2018
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you can take @RoseanneOnABC out of racism but you can’t take the racism out of @therealroseanne … https://t.co/sJs7Hn5zrn
— Don Cheadle (@DonCheadle) May 29, 2018
News of the show’s cancellation comes almost two months to the day after the reboot of the popular 1980s and ’90s sitcom show premiered to huge ratings.
More than 18 million people watched the March 27 episode of the updated show, exceeding the viewership for its original series finale in 1997 by 10 percent.
The show was noteworthy for Barr’s character being a Trump supporter and viewers liked the middle-class lifestyle portrayed on the program.
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After the strong debut, the show saw its viewership fall to roughly 10 million viewers for its season finale, which aired last week. Still, those numbers were more than strong enough to convince ABC to bring the show back in September.
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