ABC Cancels Roseanne after star's racist tweet

FTC Statement: Reviewers are frequently provided by the publisher/production company with a copy of the material being reviewed.The opinions published are solely those of the respective reviewers and may not reflect the opinions of CriticalBlast.com or its management.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. (This is a legal requirement, as apparently some sites advertise for Amazon for free. Yes, that's sarcasm.)

From Variety:

ABC has pulled the plug on the revival “Roseanne.”

The move comes after series star Roseanne Barr made a comment on Twitter Tuesday morning referring to former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as the “offspring of the ‘Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.'”

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.

Source: Variety 

Commentary: Well, that was fast!  Look, I am all about the free speech, but this was just about the dumbest thing I could ever imagine someone doing.  This is pretty much the perfect example of an unforced error.  Roseanne put ABC and their parent company Disney in a situation where they basically had no choice but to fire her.  Wanda Sykes had already announced her resignation from the show.

I do think that cancelling the show might have been a little harsh though.  What about the rest of the cast and crew?  They should not be blamed for this, but now they are all out of a job too.  Granted, I am not sure how well you can do ROSEANNE with Roseanne, but I have always watched the show despite Roseanne Barr, not because of her. 


Updates: Saw a tweet from Kumail Nanjiani thar really expresses my feelings about all this:

Hey , idea for new sitcom: The Conners.

Why not?  They managed to replace Becky.  Put a new actress in the role, and keep going!

Sara Gilbert also commented on Twitter:

Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least. This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love— one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.

 


And also comments from Michael Fishman: