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How far would Roseanne Barr go before the adults stepped in?
The comedian — a title that sometimes seemed incongruous given her often bitter, unfunny vitriol on Twitter — was always a delicate balancing act for ABC, owned by the family-friendly kingdom of Disney.
The comedian — a title that sometimes seemed incongruous given her often bitter, unfunny vitriol on Twitter — was always a delicate balancing act for ABC, owned by the family-friendly kingdom of Disney.
The network finally cancelled the top-rated revival of her sitcom Roseanne on Tuesday after she tweeted a comment comparing former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, would often find herself dancing around reporters’ questions about her star’s history of Twitter rants, filled with conspiracy theories and racist allegations.
It must have been agonizing for Dungey, the first Black woman to lead a major U.S. network, to defend Barr. But the fact that Roseanne was a ratings monster that helped to revive the struggling network, and was already renewed for a second season, gave cover. It was the biggest show in the U.S. upon its premiere and, according to the most recent ratings, was the fourth most watched show in Canada. But no more.
Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, would often find herself dancing around reporters’ questions about her star’s history of Twitter rants, filled with conspiracy theories and racist allegations.
It must have been agonizing for Dungey, the first Black woman to lead a major U.S. network, to defend Barr. But the fact that Roseanne was a ratings monster that helped to revive the struggling network, and was already renewed for a second season, gave cover. It was the biggest show in the U.S. upon its premiere and, according to the most recent ratings, was the fourth most watched show in Canada. But no more.
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“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values,” Dungey said in a statement.
Jarrett, who is Black, was brought up in response to Twitter commentary that raised her name in relation to an Obama conspiracy theory. Barr tweeted: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”
Barr later tweeted an apology to Jarrett. But the damage was done. Not unlike President Donald Trump, whom she supports, Barr knows how to unleash a Twitter storm. But even by her standards it was an unusually busy morning.
Read more:
Roseanne cancelled by ABC after show’s star writes racist tweet about Obama adviser
Jarrett, who is Black, was brought up in response to Twitter commentary that raised her name in relation to an Obama conspiracy theory. Barr tweeted: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”
Barr later tweeted an apology to Jarrett. But the damage was done. Not unlike President Donald Trump, whom she supports, Barr knows how to unleash a Twitter storm. But even by her standards it was an unusually busy morning.
Read more:
Roseanne cancelled by ABC after show’s star writes racist tweet about Obama adviser
Apart from calling Jarrett an ape, Barr claimed (and later retracted) that Chelsea Clinton was married to the nephew of billionaire George Soros, and also said incorrectly that Soros, a Jewish businessman who’s a frequent target of the right, was a Nazi.
The outrage level rose on Tuesday to a level that could no longer be ignored, so ABC pulled the plug on one of its biggest hits. CTV followed suit, pulling the show from all its Canadian platforms, and Tuesday night’s scheduled reruns of Roseanne were yanked on both sides of the border. And Barr was dropped by her talent agency, Variety reported.
The outrage level rose on Tuesday to a level that could no longer be ignored, so ABC pulled the plug on one of its biggest hits. CTV followed suit, pulling the show from all its Canadian platforms, and Tuesday night’s scheduled reruns of Roseanne were yanked on both sides of the border. And Barr was dropped by her talent agency, Variety reported.
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The question for Disney was whether Barr’s beliefs would infuse the show on a toxic level.
The environment in a social media world has changed. Studios traditionally excused an artist’s personal bad behaviour as having nothing to do with the show itself.
With Roseanne, it was hard to see where Roseanne Barr the person ended and where Roseanne Conner the character began.
Certainly the show came out swinging, with Roseanne as a full-blown Trump supporter. And the show played well to the base, so well that Trump called to congratulate her.
There were swipes at race, such as an infamous episode when Roseanne and husband Dan (John Goodman) awake from a nap and joke that they missed all the shows about “Black and Asian” families.
“They’re just like us. There, now you’re all caught up,” says Roseanne.
It was a dismissive swipe at fellow ABC shows Fresh off The Boat and Blackish, which elicited a backlash from the industry and from fans.
The tragedy here is that when Roseanne debuted in 1988 it was groundbreaking. It was one of the few series to portray American working-class families in a real way, and tackled substantive issues such as sexuality, domestic violence and gay rights.
It also had arguably the most gold-plated writers room in history, with a lineup that included Judd Apatow (Girls), Chuck Lorre (Big Bang Theory), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
So what happened to that Roseanne? Certainly, the limited reboot seemed to be steering less into Trump territory and getting into issues such as the opioid crisis and illegal immigration as it mostly stayed away from being too overtly political. But despite being surrounded by a stellar cast, including Goodman and star and executive producer Sara Gilbert, Barr’s delivery and timing seemed off in the early episodes before she found her footing.
The show was always a throwback to a traditional sitcom era, and it hasn’t aged well. The biggest travesty wasn’t Roseanne Conner’s preference for Trump — it was the show’s hack writing.
When I first interviewed Barr in 2016, just before Trump was elected, she reminded me that she was the one who had suggested he run in the first place, way back in 1998. It was, she thought, a huge joke.
But the reality was that, for better or worse, the values of the real Roseanne seemed aligned with the president she would support. Roseanne Conner, the working-class heroine who once stood up to prejudice and misogyny, didn’t have a chance.
Read more:
Opinion | Roseanne episode is a TV throwback, but it’s still a conversation worth having
Opinion | Vinay Menon: Roseanne Barr comes to Canada (mostly) in peace
The environment in a social media world has changed. Studios traditionally excused an artist’s personal bad behaviour as having nothing to do with the show itself.
With Roseanne, it was hard to see where Roseanne Barr the person ended and where Roseanne Conner the character began.
Certainly the show came out swinging, with Roseanne as a full-blown Trump supporter. And the show played well to the base, so well that Trump called to congratulate her.
There were swipes at race, such as an infamous episode when Roseanne and husband Dan (John Goodman) awake from a nap and joke that they missed all the shows about “Black and Asian” families.
“They’re just like us. There, now you’re all caught up,” says Roseanne.
It was a dismissive swipe at fellow ABC shows Fresh off The Boat and Blackish, which elicited a backlash from the industry and from fans.
The tragedy here is that when Roseanne debuted in 1988 it was groundbreaking. It was one of the few series to portray American working-class families in a real way, and tackled substantive issues such as sexuality, domestic violence and gay rights.
It also had arguably the most gold-plated writers room in history, with a lineup that included Judd Apatow (Girls), Chuck Lorre (Big Bang Theory), Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls) and Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
So what happened to that Roseanne? Certainly, the limited reboot seemed to be steering less into Trump territory and getting into issues such as the opioid crisis and illegal immigration as it mostly stayed away from being too overtly political. But despite being surrounded by a stellar cast, including Goodman and star and executive producer Sara Gilbert, Barr’s delivery and timing seemed off in the early episodes before she found her footing.
The show was always a throwback to a traditional sitcom era, and it hasn’t aged well. The biggest travesty wasn’t Roseanne Conner’s preference for Trump — it was the show’s hack writing.
When I first interviewed Barr in 2016, just before Trump was elected, she reminded me that she was the one who had suggested he run in the first place, way back in 1998. It was, she thought, a huge joke.
But the reality was that, for better or worse, the values of the real Roseanne seemed aligned with the president she would support. Roseanne Conner, the working-class heroine who once stood up to prejudice and misogyny, didn’t have a chance.
Read more:
Opinion | Roseanne episode is a TV throwback, but it’s still a conversation worth having
Opinion | Vinay Menon: Roseanne Barr comes to Canada (mostly) in peace
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