Racist tweets bring an end to comedy's biggest comeback.
May 29, 2018
Just two months after picking up Roseanne for an 11th season, ABC has reversed the move. The cancellation comes after show star Roseanne Barr took to Twitter with a series of racist and anti-semitic posts. The most offending being a now-deleted tweet calling adviser to former President Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett, an offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.”
The backlash that followed was immediate and intense, with numerous celebrities and pundits speaking out against her remarks. Barr subsequently apologized, calling the tweet a joke, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
Comedian Wanda Sykes was the first person involved with the show to make a move, announcing her departure from writing on Season 2 this morning. But that was just the beginning, as mere hours later, ABC Entertainment chief Channing Dungey announced that the network was cancelling the show due to her "abhorrent, repugnant" words that were "inconsistent with our values."
The decision was obviously not made lightly, as Roseanne's comeback was the biggest success story ever for a revived series. The show's Season 10 premiere in March surpassed all expectations by drawing a massive audience of 18 million viewers with an impressive 5.2 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic. Those numbers are almost unheard of nowadays, especially for broadcast comedies.
But now instead of going on another likely-lengthy run, Roseanne's revival ends after just nine episodes, with the now-series finale airing one week ago.
Bradleigh H Horton
05/29/18 at 10:28pm
With ROSEANNE no longer on the network, they can always bring back THE MAYOR or ALEX INC.
john
05/29/18 at 09:50pm
channing dungey, the head of abc entertainment pulled the plug after roseanne's tweet...you should watch what racisct remarks you're making when you have an african american boss~
tirebiter
05/29/18 at 07:40pm
@Sara - You're wrong about what you "thought" Darwin said. The reality is actually well worth knowing. You should study evolution in more detail.
I'd be nihilistic if it mattered
05/29/18 at 07:37pm
Apparently the MeToo movement has't taught MANY people that all it takes is one Tweet to end a career in today's "delicate" age of political correctness. I hate Roseanne Barr.. she's always been a fairly disgusting personality to me. But.. I support her right to say whatever she wants to say... The real devil here is Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/ et. al and this "instant" world of transcribed conversation. Say it.. forget it.. write it regret it.. lessons to live by.
FUBAR
05/29/18 at 07:35pm
Big difference between NFL protests and Roseanne Barr's tweets, Real American. She made a comment on her own time through a process completely separate from ABC. The NFL players were protesting on the job. Get it yet?
tirebiter
05/29/18 at 07:34pm
@FUBAR - I strongly doubt that the show will get picked up by another network. Many of the show runners and executive producers had already exited at the end of the season and they were joined by Wanda Sykes today. I read on another site that after today's three-pronged (and fully debunked) attacks that some of the prominent cast members said they wouldn't return (I'm not certain of that statement though). Also Roseanne's agents dropped her today and Viacom has pulled reruns from the original series from daytime TV and Hulu.
She is kryptonite. That's not the case with Tim Allen.
Colette
05/29/18 at 07:25pm
Dgroll1,I totally agree. Also what happened to freedom of speech? One wrong tweet and your out apparently now why can’t that happen to Trump!! Roseanne could have gone to any other network with her show but she chose to go back to its original network. Millions of people do actually love this show!
I used to watch years ago and thoroughly enjoyed this reboot.
Malvaudo
05/29/18 at 06:58pm
People calling others leftists just because they don't like this trash series? And then you call them snowflakes? Sounds like you are the one being offended over there in defense mode over a series that should have never gotten a reboot. Politics has nothing to do with why I don't like this series. People can choose not to like the series and not be anti Trump. Jesus what is wrong with people on here? This sites comments have gotten crazy toxic over the last couple years.
Dgroll1
05/29/18 at 06:57pm
What ever happened to freedom of speech??? Roseanne gets canceleb because of a Tweet!!! Seriuosly??? Is network tv becoming the NFL (no fun league)??? Wand Syeks quiting might changed the writing some, but a show gets cut despite 18 million viewers!!! Really???? Can the falcons cut Matt Ryan a day into a new 3 year 100 million dollar guaranteed
contract??? Well its actually a legal move, but they stI'll have to pay him!!! I agree with an earlier comment that FOX should steal the show from abc!!!
Real American
05/29/18 at 06:49pm
So many snowflakes calling this a double standard but still won't support the Anthem protests. Some people just get made when sane people (liberals) call out the bad guys. She said something and had to account for what she said. Why do right-wing snowflakes hate accountability?
If you say this is free speech than you are saying the nfl was wrong for making them stand.
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