It's never a good thing when the President of the United States or his administration uses divisive and racial rhetoric. And now America sees how similar and even harsher rhetoric used by a sitcom star can draw backlash and spark outrage.
Rosanne Barr, the star of “Roseanne,” the reboot of the original 90s TV series, unleashed a racist tweet storm on Tuesday (May 29) about Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser under President Obama’s administration, and who happens to be African-American.
Roseanne’s tweet, which she said was a bad joke, called her the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and the planet of the apes—a tweet which she later deleted.
Roseanne’s tweets not only took jabs at Jarrett but also at the former First Daughter, Chelsea Clinton, for being married to George Soros, a Holocaust survivor. In the same post, she crafted an anti-Semitic and Nazi conspiracy about George Soros, saying he turned in his fellow Jews to be killed by the Germans.
The 'pink slip'
Hours after Roseanne’s scathing tweets, ABC’s President Channing Dungey and other top executives decided to cancel the show, issuing a public statement, saying that her tweets were “abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show.”
It is unfortunate that Roseanne’s show was cancelled, because as CNN reported, 300 people are now without a job.
There was no way to save a show named after the star the network severed ties with.
Sara Gibert, one of the cast members of the show, took to Twitter herself after Barr’s tweets and called the comedian’s comments “abhorrent” and told the world that the cast did not share the views of Roseanne.
Deja vu
Getting fired once is bad, but being fired twice in one day is brutal.
Hours after ABC cancelled the “Roseanne” show, Barr’s talent agency, ICM, dropped her as a client, reported Variety. Roseanne had just signed with ICM last August, shortly before the reboot of the sitcom.
ICM issued a public statement saying they were “greatly distressed by the disgraceful and unacceptable tweet.” Their statement went on to say that Roseanne’s views were “antithetical” to their core values and that they had notified her that they would not represent her.
ICM’s non-representation took effect immediately after she was made aware of their decision, according to The Hill.
Morals vs Money
Nischelle Turner, host of Entertainment Tonight and CNN contributor, reported that the show drew $45 million from advertisements in its first season. It was estimated that the network was also poised to receive over $60 million for the upcoming second season.
The entertainment world is taking a stand as if to say morals are greater than money. Turner said it best, as ABC chose people over profit.
These entities seem to understand their responsibility and strong presence in American culture impacts our way of life. It would also seem that they realize that normalizing the behavior would ultimately destroy their industry and the principles on which America stands.
