The Roseanne revival has been axed following Roseanne Barr’s offensive comments about one of Barack Obama’s former senior advisers on Tuesday.
The cast of the show have responded to the cancellation and the offensive tweets, in which Roseanne called former White House aide Valerie Jarrett the offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” Roseanne offered a flimsy apology for the remark, saying she made a “joke” in “bad taste.”
On Wednesday, the ABC Network announced their decision to cancel the show, which had just wrapped up it’s first revival season and was due to return with more episodes later this year. Network Ten, who aired the show in Australia, have pulled the remaining episodes from their schedule.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.
A Network Ten spokesperson said, “Network Ten is appalled and disgusted with Ms Barr’s racist tweet.”
Roseanne’s revival has been cancelled by ABC, with Network Ten pulling all future episodes from their schedule.
Prior to the cancellation, actress Wanda Sykes – who served as the show’s consulting producer – said she was not going to return to work on Roseanne.
The cast of the show have been quick to condemn Roseanne for her words, while also expressing sadness over the loss of the once-great sitcom.
In a post on Twitter, Michael Fishman (D.J. Conner) writes he is “devastated, not for the end of the Roseanne show, but for all those who poured their hearts and souls into our jobs, and the audience that welcomed us into their homes.”
He continues, “Our cast, crew, writers and production staff strived for inclusiveness, with numerous storylines designed to reflect inclusiveness. The words of one person do not exemplify the thinking of all involved.”
The actor also labels Roseanne’s personal statements “reprehensible and intolerable,” saying they contradict his “beliefs and outlook on life and society.”
Sara Gilbert (Darlene Conner-Healy) shared several statements on Twitter, saying Roseanne’s comments are “abhorrent” and “do not reflect the beliefs of the cast and crew.”
She calls the cancellation sad, saying “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.”
Emma Kenney, who played Roseanne’s granddaughter Harris Conner-Healy, revealed she was going to quit the show over the comments.
“As I called my manager to quit working on Roseanne, I was told it was cancelled,” she writes. “I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable.”
Other cast members including John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sarah Chalke are yet to comment on the cancellation.
