Less than a week after the final episode of the first season of her rebooted show aired on ABC, Roseanne Barr compared former Obama administration senior adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape on Twitter.
Barr’s racist smear of an African American woman came hours after she retweeted a string of tweets about Pizzagate, the baseless conspiracy theory about prominent Democrats being involved in a sex trafficking ring that resulted in Comet Ping Pong, a DC pizzeria, being attacked by a gunman after Trump’s election.
noted Trump supporter/moron @therealroseanne is spending her time tonight retweeting a 230 part thread on the Pizzagate+QAnon, conspiracy theories, specifically mentioning Comet Ping Pong. if a second asshole brings a gun to that restaurant, I hope she gets sued pic.twitter.com/pBrSKdEqc3
— Brendan Karet 🚮 (@bad_takes) May 29, 2018
Earlier Monday, Barr — who plays a Trump supporter on her show and is one in real life too — suggested that Chelsea Clinton is part of a Jewish conspiracy, calling her “Chelsea Soros Clinton.” (Clinton is married to a Jewish man who is not related to Soros.)
After smearing Chelsea Clinton, Barr retweeted a post suggesting that Chelsea’s mother should commit suicide.
Barr also retweeted a meme mocking Chelsea Clinton’s appearance.
This isn’t new behavior for Barr. In March, she tweeted (and later deleted) a baseless conspiracy theory about President Trump secretly working to break up a worldwide child sex trafficking ring.
“President Trump has freed so many children held in bondage to pimps all over this world. Hundreds each month. He has broken up trafficking rings in high places everywhere. notice that. I disagree on some things, but give him benefit of doubt-4 now,” Barr tweeted.
Barr posted that tweet days after receiving a personal phone call from Trump. During a rally the day after that call, Trump praised Barr, saying, “Look at Roseanne — look at her ratings… They were unbelievable. Over 18 million people. And it was about us.” (The show’s ratings dipped as the season progressed.)
On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump Jr. retweeted another baseless conspiracy Barr is spreading about Soros purportedly being a Nazi.
After a CNN reporter responded to Barr’s racist smear of Valerie Jarrett by noting that “ABC is doing their best to ignore some of these statements from Roseanne and she is making it really hard for them by taking it to next level here,” Barr claimed she was joking.
ABC hasn’t said anything publicly about Barr’s unhinged tweets. Her show is currently slated to return to the network with new episodes this fall.
UPDATE (5/29, 10:40 a.m.) — Less than an hour after retweeting conspiracy theories about Soros and the Clintons, Barr apologized “to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans” for “making a bad joke about her politics and her looks,” and deleted her tweet comparing Jarrett to an ape.
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.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
Barr also said she is “leaving Twitter.”
I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
Barr did not acknowledge, however, the racism involved in comparing an African American to an ape — something she has repeatedly done on Twitter. And the sincerity of her apology is drawn into question by how she “apologized” to Chelsea Clinton earlier Tuesday, but then immediately resumed smearing her husband and family.
UPDATE (5/29, 12:21 p.m.) — Comedian Wanda Sykes announced, after Roseanne’s tweets, that she will not be returning as a producer for the show.
I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
UPDATE (5/29, 1:50 p.m.) — ABC has canceled Roseanne.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the network characterized Barr’s “Twitter statement” as “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”
ABC has canceled #Roseanne. pic.twitter.com/UaEITxZ1Rw
— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) May 29, 2018
“Roseanne” was scheduled to return with new episodes this fall.