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.
FOS
05/30/18 at 08:11am
So let's talk about freedom of speech. I'm glad you people are keeping racism and hate alive. Way to progress! Keep up the good work. I hope all you racist morons die tragically in a fire as you say something you feel you have the right to say because you have freedom of speech.
I have the right to say that right?
Gus Vigliotti
05/30/18 at 07:55am
Why punish all the people associated with "Rosanne". It was Rosanne Barr who tweeted " in bad taste". The other cast members came out against her. ABC should do what FOX did for Lethal Weapon. Get rid of the problem and go on without her. Change the name of the show to say The Conners. Rosanne didn't bring much to the program anyway.
ok then
05/30/18 at 07:54am
Do you all realize that it was year ago that Kathy Griffin did the photoshoot where it looked like she cut off Trump's head? And she got fired and dropped and uninvited from various events and shows because of it. And rightfully so. Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences when you do or say something idiotic. Also, the argument that Roseanne was doing something during her personal time is nonsense. If you're a public figure, you're _always_ "on the job." She represents the show with _her name_ on it and ABC as a network. You can't have it two ways. Liberal or conservative, I don't care. You say something stupid, you get fired.
MisterMister
05/30/18 at 07:36am
Glad this pile of crap is canceled. I did not need a show that explained the backwards reasons (I already was aware off) why the people in the Mid West voted for an Orange Idiot. This show was just a way of trying to get the rest of the country "to understand" the current administration and why it is in office.
Mack
05/30/18 at 07:33am
Agree with Erns liberals playbook is 1. Label the threat racist. 2. Go after the threats job. 3. Destroy stuff or turn violent when all else fails but they still want everyone to get along as long as it falls in line with the way they think.
Sherry
05/30/18 at 06:59am
Who are we kidding? I bet that most of the cast would come back to Roseanne if Netflix or another network picked it up because most of them don't have careers! I actually think they do need new writers so Wanda Sykes won't be missed.
Angelus
05/30/18 at 02:55am
@john : one should watch what racist things they say regardless of who their boss is. It's a question of who you are as a person, rather than who is watching when you say it.
Big Erns
05/30/18 at 00:35am
Some handicap person here who is calling him/herself "Real American" is everything wrong with America today! That idiot describes Liberals as rational people, WOW LMAO!!! This is why I call these people dyslexic democrats, these lunatics see everything backwards & are completely out of touch with reality, a product of believing cnn & the rest of the msm. I'm not a Republican, just sane & think for myself! P.S. to all the liberals trying to flip the script: the term "Snowflake" is meant to describe overly sensitive millennial college crybabies who are fragile & melt down over everything. When a liberal uses that term to describe conservatives they just end up sounding unoriginal & sad! Its like a White toothless hillbilly calling a Black Person a redneck!!!
Big Erns
05/30/18 at 00:05am
Alot of people here keep talking about freedom of speech & how ABC can fire RB because freedom of speech only matters from a government perspective, this is true! The problem is you idiots saying this are the same people sayng NFL players have a right to protest even when they're at work & wearing the NFL jersey, NFL is a brand, respect the fans or find a new career! The problem is double standards, if RB were on the left & black & said something about white people she would apologize delete the tweet & keep her job..
Mat
05/29/18 at 10:29pm
At least some people get penalized for awful things like this still. President Trump anything you'd like to grab Roseanne by b4 she fades into the background again?
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