Joke branded 'abhorrent, repugnant'

A racist tweet has cost Roseanne Barr her hit American sitcom.

The ABC network has pulled the plug on the self-titled show, after the comedian attacked one of Barack Obama’s former advisers on social media.

Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment, said: 'Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show.'

The sitcom was the most-watched new comedy of the year, debuting with 18.4 million viewers — better numbers than the original series finale netted more than 20 years ago – and a second series had been ordered.

Now its cast and crew are out of a job, just hours after Barr described the attorney and civic leader Valerie Jarrett, who is black, as a mix between the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet Of The Apes. 

Barr, an outspoken Donald Trump supporter whose revived sitcom’s success has been attributed to its appeal to his voters, made her ill-judged comment in response to another Twitter user who accused Jarrett of covering up misdeeds in the Obama administration.

In a late-night tweet, now deleted, she said: ‘muslim brotherhood & plant of the apes had a baby=vj.’

It is not thought that Jarrett is Muslim, though she has not spoken of having any faith.

Barr later retracted the gag, tweeting: ‘I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.  I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me - my joke was in bad taste.’

Commenting on the sitcom's cancellation, co-star Sara GIlbert said: '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.'

She had previously tweeted: '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.'

Barr had previously spent the day retweeting comments about the ‘Clinton crime family’, attacks on the ‘fake media’ and reports about the jailing of  British far-right-winger Tommy Robinson for perjury.

Published: 29 May 2018