ABC cancels ‘Roseanne’ over ‘abhorrent, repugnant’ tweet

The actress apologized for comparing former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to the ‘Planet of the Apes’ and the Muslim Brotherhood, but the damage was already done.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

Roseanne Barr’s outspokenness on her Twitter account has, over time, garnered both fans and detractors—as well as momentum for her show’s reboot on ABC Entertainment. On Tuesday, however, one of her tweets sent the network and other organizations scrambling to cut ties with her.

The Hill reported:

In a since-deleted tweet, Barr said [former White House adviser Valerie] Jarrett was a cross between “Planet of the Apes” and the Muslim Brotherhood. “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” Barr wrote, using Jarrett’s initials. The message was in response to a tweet accusing Jarrett of helping to “hide” misdeeds for the Obama administration.

Social media users lashed out quickly, condemning Barr’s remarks. Many called for ABC to cancel the show under the hashtag #CancelRoseanne.

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough tweeted:

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.