Do you think someone should have their entire career destroyed for a tasteless Tweet? That’s not something we can answer. However, countless people get away with making racist or sexist remarks online all the time, but they’re usually anonymous keyboard warriors and not celebrities or politicians. When you’re in the spotlight, you’re usually not easily forgiven because we expect them to be the perfect human who have no flaws and who always say the right thing. But this is not reality, as even celebrities say the wrong thing from time to time. Roseanne Barr is a somewhat recent example of this. She was experiencing a stunning resurgence in her career when she suddenly has her TV show canceled after she made a racist comment on Twitter.
Roseanne Barr canceled from her own TV show.
From 1988 to 1997, the self-titled TV sitcom Roseanne was enjoyed by millions across America and even around the world. After a 21-year hiatus, the show was rebooted as The Conners in 2018. Roseanne Barr was once again the focus character, and she was elated at the chance to revisit the role she once loved so much.
However, it was short-lived. Two months after it was released, the show was canceled once again. Why? It all comes down to a Tweet made by Roseanne. But what could she have said that caused her show to be canceled? Well, in today’s age, one has to be very careful about what they say online—especially celebrities who are constantly under the watchful eye of the public.
Roseanne Barr made a racist comment about Obama’s former administration official Valerie Jarrett. Her Tweet was brash, and she compared Valerie to an ape. Needless to say, the Tweet was offensive. Roseanne was allegedly unaware that Valerie was not white. ABC was unimpressed with Roseanne’s comment, and they canceled her show on the grounds that her words were “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values.”
Words from Roseanne
In an interview with Los Angeles Times, Roseanne spoke about her career and how it fell apart after her Tweet. She said that everything was taken away from her, but she also felt it was extremely unfair. “They didn’t do it to anyone else in Hollywood, although they always throw in Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K,” she said. “I’m the only person who’s lost everything, whose life’s work was stolen, stolen by people who I thought loved me.”
Roseanne felt that no one stood up to defend her, and they hid in the shadows while her life fell apart. “And there was silence,” she said. “There was no one in Hollywood really defending me publicly, except for [fellow comedian] Mo’nique, who is a brave, close, dear friend.”
The interviewer asked her how her show being cancelled impacted her life. To Roseanne, it was devastating. “They denied me the right to apologize,” she said. “Oh my God, they just hated me so badly. I had never known that they hated me like that. They hate me because I have talent, because I have an opinion. Even though Roseanne became their No. 1 show, they’d rather not have a No. 1 show.”
Roseanne Barr forgives her colleagues
The now 70-year-old actress has started stand-up comedy shows again. Her return to her roots as an entertainer brought her some peace of mind as she felt it was God’s intention. Through this realization of divine intervention, she found forgiveness for all her colleagues.
“I started thinking that God took me out of there to save me. And once I started thinking that way, I was, like, a lot better off,” she said. “I can’t believe what they did, with all the pain that I went through to bring the show back. And it didn’t faze them to murder my character, either. They s*** on my contribution to television and the show itself. But I forgive everybody. I started thinking that God took me out of there to save me. And once I started thinking that way, I was, like, a lot better off.” She added: “I’ve survived. I’ve come out on the other side of it, finally. But it was a witch-burning. And it was terrifying.”
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