Stephen Nulty 9:38 pm on May 29, 2018
Tags: anti-semitics, , roseanne, roseanne barr   

Tuesday 29 May 2018 – Racist and antisemite Roseanne Barr sees her ‘Roseanne’ ABC show cancelled

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Following a racist tweet from Roseanne Barr, ABC in the United States have cancelled the Roseanne show after just one 10-episode reboot series.  This is despite the success that the show had been having following its return twenty-one years after the original hugely successful and award-winning Roseanne show ended in 1997.  ABC made their decision after Roseanne tweeted an offensive and racist tweet in which she  said that if you cross the Muslim Brotherhood with the Planet of the Apes movie you get Valerie Jarrett.  Ms Jarrett is an African-American former aide to President Obama. Roseanne’s racist tweet was a response to another Twitter user who had claimed that Ms Jarrett was involved in a cover-up of purported spying by the Obama administration.


Roseanne made a half-hearted apology, resorting to her usual excuse – that it was a joke, saying “I apologise to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans.  I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her policies and her looks.  I should have known better. Forgive me – my joke was in bad taste.”  Executives at ABC were clearly not ready to accept Roseanne’s claim that her tweet was just a joke and within a couple of hours had announced that the show – which was in pre-production for a second reboot season – was being cancelled.  Roseanne’s racism has not only cost her the show’s continuation but it has also put around 300 people who worked on the show out of work.


As if Roseanne’s racism wasn’t bad enough, she has also been making anti-semitic comments – directed at Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Hillary and Bill Clinton, and George Soros.  Roseanne claimed that Chelsea Clinton was married to a nephew of  Mr Soros, who is a bogeyman of conspiracy theorists like Roseanne Barr.  Mr Soros is a Hungarian-American Jewish investor and businessman who has often been the target of conspiracies that, among other things, suggest he is a Nazi or was a Nazi collaborator.  Roseanne repeated this repugnant claims, suggesting that he had turned other Jews over to the Nazis.


Mr Soros was only 14 when World War II ended and his spokesman, Kenneth P. Vogel,  today called Roseanne’s comments: “an affront to the Mr Soros and his family, who against the odds managed to survive the Holocaust.”  The full statement on Twitter read: “George Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary as a 13-year-old child by going into hiding and assuming a false identity with the help of his father, who managed to save his own family and help many other Jews survive Holocaust.  He did not collaborate with the Nazis.  He did not help round up people.  He did not confiscate anybody’s property. Such false allegations are insulting to the victims of the Holocaust, to all Jewish people, and to anyone who honors the truth. They are an affront to Mr Soros and his family, who against the odds managed to survive one of the darkest moments in history.” 


Roseanne herself is Jewish, so her anti-semitism is particularly horrendous.  She may dismiss her comments and actions as jokes, such as when she posed dressed as Hitler for a satirical Jewish magazine – her own suggestion apparently – but many including myself don’t see them as jokes but as deeply offensive.  While I don’t believe that any subject, including the Holocaust, is beyond the pale for comedians the humour has to be devastatingly funny.  If it isn’t then it is just horrendously offensive.  Dressing up as Hitler and putting Gingerbread men in an oven is not funny and I’m sure that if someone else had done this Roseanne would be condemning them.

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Roseanne later tweeted another half-hearted apology to Chelsea Clinton: “I’m sorry – Chelsea Clinton is NOT married to a nephew of George Soros – I apologise for the mistake!”  There was no apology  to Mr Soros.  She did however have another dig at President Obama and his and Michelle Obama’s decision to produce content for Netflix: “I don’t think any President should go from WH to producing big media 4 public consumption. It’s an unholy alliance. Leave show biz 2 professionals – altho I  do think going from show biz 2 WH is OK – I might do it one day, then retire from both.” 


Roseanne unsuccessfully ran for the Green Party nomination in the 2012 presidential election and clearly still has ambitions for a political career.  Her reference to Trump in this tweet is more evidence of her support for Donald Trump, which has been clearly shown in the reboot of her show in which she has attempted to reflect the opinions of those millions of working class Americans who voted for Trump and whom, according to them and many others, have been largely ignored by mainstream television.  Championing working class Americans was a hallmark of the original Roseanne show between 1988 and 1997 and the reboot provided a perfect opportunity to express the disillusionment of many working class people in the States.  That is not the problem.  The problem is Roseanne Barr.


James Cook, the BBC’s Los Angeles correspondent described her as the Donald Trump of sitcom, “blunt, provocative and, at times, deeply offensive.”  He explained that Roseanne has for many years been known for her profanity, provocation and peculiar conspiracy theories on social media.  ABC were well aware of her reputation but decided to take the risk and  commission a reboot of Roseanne.  ABC hadn’t had a number one show in 20 years so the success of the reboot of Roseanne seemed to be paying dividends.  Ratings were great, critics raved about the show, and advertisers were flocking to the show.  Only this week, Roseanne Barr was out promoting Season Two to advertisers, who were perhaps keen to appeal to the millions of Americans who saw the show as being sympathetic to their issues.


Roseanne’s tweet, however, was beyond the pale for ABC.  They didn’t have a choice in reality other than to cancel the show.  Being the vehicle of Roseanne Barr, and named after her, it was impossible to continue without her.  And it was impossible to continue with her as it risked alienating viewers and, more importantly to ABC, advertisers.  ABC are clearly demonstrating a zero tolerance for racist and anti-semitic views and, following the cancellation, Roseanne Barr’s talent agency ICM employees dropped her as a client.


Barr’s co-stars have also been critical of her on Twitter.  Sara Gilbert, who played Darlene Connor in the original series and the reboot tweeted: “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.”  Emma Kenny, who plays Darlene daughter Harris in the reboot, tweeted: “the racist and distasteful comments from  Roseanne are inexcusable.  […] Bullies do not win. Ever.” 


Meanwhile, Wanda Sykes, who was a producer on the show, tweeted: “I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.”  Ms Sykes is African-American and made her decision before ABC cancelled the show. Danny Zuker, who was a writer on the original Roseanne, tweeted: “I wrote on the original ‘Roseanne’ where we used to denounce nativisim, racism & homophobia. Nauseating to see what she’s become. Looking forward to continue not watching this show.”


This is truly a sad end to what could have been a great reboot.  I was a huge fan of the original Roseanne which was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK.  I have only seen a couple of clips on YouTube of the reboot so can’t attest to the quality or potential of the reboot other than from these clips and from what I’ve read from critics.  What is more sad is that this cancellation will be devastating to the hundreds who worked on the show and whom were perhaps hoping for a few years regular work with the show.  It will also be bad news for ABC who were bathing in the success of the reboot and their unexpected return to having a Number One show.  This may also make networks more cautious about commissioning reboots, especially from controversial and unpredictable people such as Roseanne Barr.  It is also a blow to the disillusioned working class Americans who maybe saw in the reboot of Roseanne an expression of their fears and concerns.

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