Valerie Jarrett Responds to Roseanne Barr Tweet After Show’s Cancellation

What to Know

ABC canceled its hit "Roseanne" after the show'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

Former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett made her first public remarks after a racist comment about her was tweeted by Roseanne Barr, prompting the ultimate cancellation of the hit "Roseanne" reboot.

Jarrett responded on MSNBC, saying Disney’s chairman called her before announcing that ABC was canceling the show. She said she hoped this would "be a teaching moment."

"I’m fine. I’m worried about all the people out there who don’t have a circle of friends and followers who come right to their defense," she said. "The person who is walking down the street minding their own business and they see somebody cling to their purse or want to cross the street or every black parent I know who has a boy who has to sit down and have a conversation -- 'the talk' as we call it."

BREAKING @ValerieJarrett responds to Roseanne Barr's tweet, saying Disney’s chairman called her before announcing that ABC was canceling the show: "This should be a teaching moment.” pic.twitter.com/s6A4OV6pB0
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 29, 2018

ABC canceled its reboot of “Roseanne” following Barr's racist tweet.

"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 Tuesday.

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Barr apologized hours earlier for suggesting that Jarrett was a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the "Planet of the Apes."

Barr on Tuesday tweeted to Jarrett that she was sorry "for making a bad joke" about her politics and her looks. Jarrett, who is African-American, advised Barack and Michelle Obama.

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Barr's now-deleted tweet read: "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." It was part of a busy period on Twitter for Barr, who wrote tweets or retweeted attacks on Michael Moore, Chelsea Clinton and George Soros.

In her apology, Barr said the Jarret comment was "in bad taste."

"I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans," she wrote. "I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better."

Moments earlier she tweeted that she was "leaving Twitter."

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Disney chairman and CEO Robert Iger said canceling the show was an easy decision. Iger tweeted the network's response to Barr's "abhorrent" remarks, adding: "There was only one thing to do here and that was the right thing."

Barr's agency also announced it was cutting ties with the actress Tuesday afternoon. ICM Partners called Barr's tweet "disgraceful," "unacceptable" and "antithetical to our core values."

The company said it has ended its relationship with Barr "effective immediately."

Jarrett, who currently serves on the board of Ariel Capital Management Holdings and is a senior adviser to the Obama Foundation, declined to comment. The fact-checking site Snopes has in the past debunked past false claims about her heritage and a so-called Muslim agenda.

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 President Donald Trump. The president also called the actress to congratulate her on blockbuster ratings following the show's return to television.

Barr previously said she hoped that her show helps "open up civil conversation between people" in today's polarizing political climate.

She has also drawn attention recently for amplifying on her Twitter account other far right conspiracy theories.

Greece is still grappling with the fallout of the 2008 debt crisis and a continual flow of migrants arriving on its shores, which have left an already-stressed welfare system struggling to cope, NBC News reports. Meanwhile, one migrant opted to return to his war-torn homeland after facing extreme hardship in Greece. “My family will sell some gold so I can go again,” said Khasim. “They say I must go again.” Liza Schuster, an expert on return migrations to Afghanistan at City, University of London, said families often will have made a significant financial sacrifice to send someone to Europe and can be angry if they later show up on the doorstep. “You can find two, three, four, five, very angry brothers saying, 'We’ve put all of this together to save you and now not only are you not safe ... but we’ve got no future, we have nothing,'” she said.

Before ABC's announcement, comic Wanda Sykes, who is a consulting producer on "Roseanne," tweeted Tuesday that she would not be returning to the show.

Cast member Sara Gilbert said on Twitter that Barr'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."'

Another actress on the show, Emma Kenney, tweeted that she found out about the show's cancellation as she was calling her manager to quit "Roseanne." She added that "bullies do not win." Kenney posted another tweet saying she was "hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed."

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