On Tuesday, Roseanne Barr tweeted a racist "joke" about Valerie Jarrett, a former Obama administration advisor. Valerie is an African-American woman who was born in Iran, and Roseanne wrote, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." (Yikes.) Roseanne deleted her tweet and apologized, but the backlash was severe - so severe that ABC cancelled the Roseanne revival, one of their most successful sitcoms last season.
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Roseanne fans were bummed, because they loved seeing the characters tackle today's partisan politics and culture wars. Meanwhile, Roseanne critics celebrated, because they hated the choice to make Roseanne and Dan Conner Trump supporters (like the real Roseanne). But no matter where you stand, the revival was an hit, so the cancellation is surprising. ABC's decision shows that everyone United States has the right to free speech, but that doesn't mean freedom from the consequences of that speech.
Roseanne's racist tweet dominated the news cycle, getting reactions from celebrities, cast members, political pundits, and even Valerie Jarrett herself. Here are the responses:
Head writer Wanda Sykes quit the show before it was cancelled"I think we have to turn it into 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. The person walking down the street minding their own business and they see somebody clinging to their purse or want to cross the street or every black parent I know who has to sit down and have a conversation — the talk, as we call it — those ordinary examples of racism that happen every day."
The great thing about Twitter is that you can express every thought that pops in your head, but that doesn't always mean you should. (At least, if you want to keep your TV show.)