ABC
Roseanne Barr's controversial tweets have finally shown some serious consequences. ABC announced Tuesday that it had canceled the "Roseanne" revival following a tweet by Barr that likened former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
"Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," says a statment from ABC.
Barr's tweets, which vary from racism to supporting Trump and conspiracy theories like Pizzagate, were largely ignored by the network until Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Barr tweeted a response to a tweet that accused former adviser Valerie Jarrett of hiding misdeeds from the Obama administration, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj," characterizing Jarrett - an African-American woman born in Iran - as a child of the Muslim Brotherhood and an ape.
Twitter users immediately called out the racism in Barr's comment, and many questioned ABC's decision to keep her show on the air. The revival of "Roseanne" garnered huge ratings for ABC, with 18.2 million viewers for its premiere in March. It was picked up for another season immediately. The ratings impressed President Trump so much that he called her to congratulate her on them.
In response to criticism, Barr first defended herself, saying, "Muslims r not a race." Later, Barr apologized, tweeting, "I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her