what did roseanne do to get fired

Roseanne Barr was fired from her ABC sitcom reboot in 2018 after posting a racist tweet targeting Valerie Jarrett, a Black former advisor to Barack Obama.

The Controversial Tweet

On May 29, 2018, Barr tweeted: "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj," referring to Jarrett in a deeply offensive manner that invoked racist stereotypes by comparing her to an ape. This post quickly went viral, sparking widespread outrage for its abhorrent and repugnant nature, as ABC's then-president Channing Dungey described it. Hours later, ABC canceled the top-rated "Roseanne" revival outright, with Disney CEO Bob Iger affirming it was "the right thing" to do.

Immediate Fallout

Barr apologized soon after, initially blaming Ambien sleeping pills for her "bad joke," but the damage was irreversible—co-producer Wanda Sykes quit, and networks like Viacom and Hulu pulled reruns. The show's cast and crew lost their jobs overnight despite its massive success, highlighting the swift corporate response to public backlash over racism.

Barr's Perspective

Barr has long claimed the firing was unfair, calling it punishment for her conservative views or talent rather than the tweet itself, even alleging in recent years that "the gubmint" or personal vendettas (like from President Trump) played a role. She compared it to lighter consequences for others, like Jimmy Kimmel's 2025 suspension or Whoopi Goldberg's brief Holocaust-related hiatus, decrying a "double standard" in a NewsNation interview.

Ongoing Echoes

As recently as September 2025, the saga resurfaced amid ABC pulling Kimmel's show, with Barr slamming the network and forums buzzing over perceived hypocrisy—some defend her as a comedian trolled by hypersensitive culture, while others insist racism was the clear line. ABC spun off "The Conners" without her, which ran successfully, proving the IP's value endured.

TL;DR: Racist 2018 tweet about Valerie Jarrett got "Roseanne" axed by ABC in hours; Barr blames pills, politics, or bias, but networks prioritized values over ratings.

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