The Roseanne revival has been axed following Roseanne Barr’s offensive comments about one of Barack Obama’s former senior advisers on Tuesday.
ABC, in a stunning move, canceled the hit show, which had ended its successful comeback season just last week and was expected to return later this year for another 13 episodes.
“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, in response to Barr calling former White House aide Valerie Jarrett the offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” Jarrett, a black woman, was born in Iran to American parents.
On Tuesday, Roseanne — who has been an outspoken supporter of President Trump — apologised for the comment and announced she was “leaving Twitter.”
“I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” she wrote. “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.”
The reboot had ended its successful comeback season just last week and was expected to return later this year for another 13 episodes.
Celebrities have since taken to Twitter to both respond to the racist remarks and come out in support of the network’s decision.
Sara Gilbert, who played Roseanne’s daughter, Darlene, and who is an executive producer on the reboot, was quick to publicly denounce her costar.
“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 on Tuesday. “I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.”
“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.”
Emma Kenney, who plays Sara’s character Darlene’s daughter on the show, also took to social media to share her disappointment.
She tweeted: “I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable.”
Meanwhile, Shonda Rhimes — who’s had multiple hit shows on ABC, including Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — said the star “got what she deserved.”
“Thank you, Channing. #justice,” she wrote on Twitter. “The terrible part is all of the talented innocent people who worked on that show now suffer because of this. #notjustice”
She added: “But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one’s actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one.”
Read on for more celeb reactions:
