What to Know
- ABC canceled its hit "Roseanne" after the sitcom's star targeted former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett with a racist tweet
- Before ABC's action, Barr tweeted to Jarrett that she was sorry "for making a bad joke"
- ABC Entertainment's president called the insult "abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values." Cast members also slammed Barr
President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized ABC in the wake of the controversy surrounding Roseanne Barr's racist tweet about former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, which prompted the cancellation of the network's hit "Roseanne" reboot.
In a tweet, Trump blasted the network's handling of the situation, saying executives never called him to apologize for what he alleged were negative statements made about the president by other personalities.
"Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that 'ABC does not tolerate comments like those' made by Roseanne Barr," the tweet read. "Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?"
ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey announced Tuesday afternoon, just hours after Barr's tweet comparing Jarrett to an ape went viral, that the show would be canceled. She called Barr's comment "abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values." Iger added that cancellation was "the right thing" to do.
Jarrett responded on MSNBC, saying Iger, Disney’s chairman, called her before announcing that ABC was canceling the show. She said she hoped this would "be a teaching moment."
Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that “ABC does not tolerate comments like those” made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
In the hours after her hit show was canceled, Barr tried to explain that she was on Ambien when she wrote in a now-deleted tweet "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."
Barr says she isn't a racist, just a sleepless "idiot who make a bad joke."
The remark brought a rebuke from the maker of the sleep aid, which said "racism is not a known side effect of any" of the company's medications.
Local
Ambien is known to to cause "abnormal thinking, behavioral changes and complex behaviors" including "sleep-driving" and hallucinations. Users are advised to have behavioral changes evaluated immediately.
Barr's initial tweet on Jarrett was roundly rebuked as it went viral. She later apologized to Jarrett and vowed to leave Twitter.
But she continued tweeting late into the night and on into the morning.
Among the activity, Barr retweeted others who claimed that ABC was hypocritical for singling her out when other people on the network have said controversial things.
Other members of the "Roseanne" cast spoke out against Barr's remarks, and she took notice.
"You throw me under the bus," Barr tweeted at Michael Fishman.
"Wow! Unreal," she said in reply to Sara Gilbert.
When supporters of Barr's called Gilbert thankless and disloyal, Barr replied that she feels bad for Trump, who "goes thru this every single day."
Barr has starred in ABC's reboot of "Roseanne," which debuted with an estimated 18.4 million tuning in more than two decades after the original ended its hit run. Her character is a supporter of Trump. The president also called the actress to congratulate her on blockbuster ratings following the show's return to television.
