LOS ANGELES — ABC Entertainment president says the network has decided to cancel the "Roseanne" reboot.
The move comes after series star Roseanne Barr made a comment on Twitter Tuesday morning referring to former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as the offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.”
JUST IN: ABC cancels Roseanne: “Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.” pic.twitter.com/H9LrZEtNnH
— Dan Linden (@DanLinden) May 29, 2018
Barr on Tuesday tweeted to Jarrett that she was sorry "for making a bad joke" about her politics and her looks. Jarrett, who is African-American, advised Barack and Michelle Obama.
Meanwhile, comic Wanda Sykes, who is a consulting producer on "Roseanne," tweeted that she would not be returning to the show.
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Barr's now-deleted tweet read: "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." It was part of a busy period on Twitter for Barr, who wrote tweets or retweeted attacks on Michael Moore, Chelsea Clinton and George Soros. In her apology, Barr said the Jarrett comment was "in bad taste."
Georgia's Rep. John Lewis thanked ABC for the show's cancellation.
Thank you, @ABCNetwork. You did the right thing. There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry.
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) May 29, 2018
Show cast members mourned the end of the sitcom reboot on Twitter.
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
Twitter users called the remarks racist and bigoted, asking ABC's television group and Disney if she would be allowed to continue on the 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
Good morning @ABCNetwork , @Disney. The public twitter comments of Roseanne Barr this morning are offensive and racist. They are not "a joke" but are consistent with repugnant commentary she has made and continues to make. This is unacceptable.
— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) May 29, 2018
Sara Gilbert, who plays Barr's daughter on the show, condemned the tweet and put distance between Barr's and her own. "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," she 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
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
Jarrett, who is from the president’s hometown of Chicago, is not Muslim and is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s oldest and largest Islamic organization, according to research by the fact-checking website Snopes.
The unsubstantiated claim that she practices Islam arose at times during her tenure in the Obama administration.
Barr regularly tweets about politics and is an avid supporter of President Donald Trump, as is the character she plays on the ABC sitcom.
On Monday, Barr falsely tweeted that Chelsea Clinton was married to Democratic donor George Soros’ nephew. She later corrected herself. The daughter of former President Bill Clinton and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is married to Marc Mezvinsky.
On “Good Morning America” in March when the show “Roseanne” first aired its hit reboot, Barr told ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos that she received a congratulatory call from Trump, who she said she’s known for a long time.
The call was “exciting,” she said, and in the interview she reflected on a need for more “civilized” conversation in the country.
"That's what we need to do as a country is figure out what we don't like, talk to each other and discuss how we're going to get it changed or fixed," Barr said. "I really hope that it opens up civil conversation between people instead of just of mud-slinging. I really do because I think we need to be more civilized in that," she said.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Cox Media Group
