“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.
Disney CEO Bob Iger added on Twitter that “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”
The cancellation stunned Hollywood. The revival of “Roseanne” premiered to huge ratings just three months ago. Pre-production was already underway on a second season, which was scheduled for Tuesdays at 8 p.m. this fall.
Barr’s talent agency, ICM Partners, dropped her following her tweets.
“What she wrote is antithetical to our core values, both as individuals and as an agency,” the agency said in a statement. “Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her. Effective immediately, Roseanne Barr is no longer a client.”
Barr went on A tweetstorm Tuesday morning, attacking Valerie Jarrett, Chelsea Clinton and George Soros.
ABC went silent for several hours while deciding what to do. By late morning on the West Coast, executives had decided to boot the reboot.
When asked why ABC ultimately decided to cancel the show, a Disney source said, “It’s a question of right and wrong. And it’s a question of our company’s values.”
Reactions to the decision were overwhelming and largely positive.
Congressman John Lewis thanked ABC, saying that “There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry.”
“Some things apparently are more important than money,” even for a network like ABC, “and that’s heartening,” CNN’s Van Jones said on the air.
Before ABC made the decision, some of Barr’s colleagues publicly rebuked her.
Actress Emma Kenney, who played Roseanne’s granddaughter on the reboot, tweeted that she was in the process of quitting the show when she found out that it had been canceled.
About an hour and a half before the cancellation was announced one of the show’s consulting producers, Wanda Sykes, said she was done with the show. “I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC,” Sykes tweeted.
And Sara Gilbert, who plays Barr’s daughter on the ABC sitcom, tweeted that Barr’s comments are “abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show.”
Gilbert added: “This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”
ABC was not entirely surprised by Tuesday’s rant. After all, Barr is notorious for tweeting about pro-Trump conspiracy theories and other controversial topics.
But even by her low standards, Tuesday’s remarks were egregious.
In one of the tweets, she wrote, “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”
Barr was responding to a comment about Valerie Jarrett, a top former aide to President Obama.
She claimed she was joking, but then she deleted the tweet and issued an apology to Jarrett and “all Americans.”
“I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks,” Barr tweeted. “I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste.” Barr then said she’s leaving Twitter.
Jarrett declined to comment.
Social media lit up with criticism of both Barr and ABC, with some demanding a response from the broadcast network.
Barr also made comments on Twitter Tuesday about Chelsea Clinton, tweeting, “Chelsea Soros Clinton.” She later replied in the comments that Clinton is “married to Soros nephew.” Soros is a billionaire liberal benefactor who has been the subject to many right-wing conspiracy theories over the years.
Clinton responded to Barr shortly after.
“Good morning Roseanne – my given middle name is Victoria. I imagine George Soros’s nephews are lovely people. I’m just not married to one,” she wrote.
Barr responded back to Clinton saying, “Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you! Please forgive me!”
She then continued, “By the way, George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea?”
This is a conspiracy theory about Soros that has been debunked many times. The fact-checking site Snopes called it “false” back in 2016.
“Roseanne” was one of the highest-rated new shows of the season, making Barr is one of the network’s biggest stars.
About 18 million live viewers watched the premiere episode in March.
President Trump praised the debut saying, “Over 18 million people! And it was about us!” The President also called Barr to congratulate her.
Later, the show saw its audience come back down to earth, but its finale still nabbed roughly 10 million live viewers, a huge achievement for ABC.
Just two weeks ago, Barr was the centerpiece of ABC’s upfront presentation to advertisers in New York.
But on Tuesday it became clear that some major advertisers would likely shun “Roseanne” in the future.
In the past, ABC executives have privately said that they held their noses when Barr tweeted.
They know some of her posts had been problematic — full of pro-Trump conspiracy theories that mislead her fans. But they decided this time she went too far.
“Enough was enough,” the Disney source said.
