Roseanne Quits Twitter Following Valerie Jarrett Insult
By RJ Johnson - @rickerthewriter
May 29, 2018
Roseanne Barr, one of TV's biggest stars is no stranger to controversy, but a series of bizarre late night tweets has the ABC star apologizing Tuesday morning after a rant that many are calling racist.
It began late Monday night when Barr responded to a comment about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett by sending out a tweet that read: "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj" with the initials "VJ" referring to Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett.
Barr later deleted the tweet and apologized, saying that her joke was in "bad taste."
"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."
Barr also announced that she was leaving Twitter following her comments.
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
I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
Jarrett declined to comment on Roseanne's tweets.
The late night tweets infuriated many in the entertainment industry, including comedian Wanda Sykes who works on Roseanne's rebooted sitcom as a consulting producer.
Sykes says she's done with the show following Barr's comments on Twitter.
"I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC," Sykes tweeted.
I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
Barr is well-known for tweeting pro-Trump messages, conspiracy theories and other controversial topics. Over the last week, the ABC star has been repeatedly attacking prominent Democrats, and defending herself against accusations of racism by insisting that "Islam is not a race."
The offending tweet was part of a series that referred to George Soros, a billionaire investor, as a Nazi and Chelsea Clinton as a Soros family member. Clinton responded to Twitter, correcting Barr on her middle name and that she was married to someone else.
Barr responded back to Clinton writing, "Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you! Please forgive me!"
She went on to tweet about a debunked conspiracy theory about Soros that Snopes dismissed as 'False' in 2016.
ABC Entertainment announced Tuesday morning that they have canceled the rebooted Roseanne show, calling her comments on Twitter "abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values."
Photo: Getty Images