ABC bosses have claimed that Roseanne Barr’s tweet about Valerie Jarrett was the tipping point after “multiple instances” that led to her sitcom being axed.
Back in May, Roseanne faced a massive backlash over a tweet in which she compared Barack Obama’s former adviser to a cross between the “Muslim brotherhood” and an “ape”.
The controversy led ABC to pull the recently-rebooted sitcom ‘Roseanne’ from the air, though Channing Dungey, the head of ABC Entertainment, has now insisted that the tweet was not the only thing that led to its cancellation.
Speaking to Deadline, Channing said: “We knew what we wanted to do, and we did it. For us, we have had multiple instances with Roseanne, and certainly this tweet crossed the line that cannot be crossed.
“It was for us a sense of enough is enough and something had to be done.”
Roseanne has her own theories about what led to the show being cancelled, though, claiming in a video statement posted to her YouTube channel, that her personal political beliefs were what cost her the job.
She claimed: “When ABC called and asked me to explain my ‘egregious and unforgivable tweet,’ I told them I thought Valerie Jarrett was white. And I also said, ‘I am willing to go on ‘The View’, ‘Jimmy Kimmel’, or whatever other show you want me to go on and explain that to my audience’.
“Now, instead what happened was, about 40 minutes after that, my show was cancelled before even one advertiser pulled out and I was labelled a racist.
“Why, you ask? Well, the answer is simple. It’s because I voted for Donald Trump and that is not allowed in Hollywood.”
Roseanne previously voiced her claim that she had been unaware of Jarrett’s race in an erratic video, again uploaded to her YouTube channel, in which she smoked a cigarette and angrily asserted: “I thought the bitch was white!”
A spin-off based on the rest of the cast of ‘Roseanne’, with no involvement from its former leading lady, is now confirmed to be in the works.
Tentatively titled ‘The Connors’, Sara Gilbert, John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf are all tipped to be taking part in the new 10-episode series show.
Roseanne said at the time: “I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from ‘Roseanne’.
“I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”