Why Was Roseanne Fired From The Conners And How Does She Feel About It Today?
Actor and comedian Roseanne Barr is certainly no stranger to self-inflicted controversy. She has a well-documented history of making outrageous public comments, which have led to serious public backlash and damage to her career. One incident in 2018 led to her being fired from the second iteration of the show that bore her name, which was subsequently renamed "The Conners."
The first version of "Roseanne" aired from 1988 through 1997 and earned praise for its realistic portrayal of a working-class American family. The series starred John Goodman as Roseanne's husband Dan Conner and Sara Gilbert as their daughter Darlene. "Roseanne" was brought back in 2018 by ABC, but the revival was short-lived.
Just two months after the revival of "Roseanne" hit the airwaves, bringing in a staggering 18.2 million viewers for its first episode, Roseanne posted a blatantly racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former aid to President Barack Obama. ABC's president of entertainment, Channing Dungey, said in a statement, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values," and abruptly canceled the show. It was soon brought back as "The Conners," and Roseanne's character was killed off in the series premiere.
Roseanne has continued to make offensive comments and deflect accountability for them
Roseanne did later offer an apology to Valerie Jarrett, but also blamed the tweet on her use of the sleep aid Ambien. That prompted the drug's manufacturer, Sanofi, to issue its own tweet, reading, "While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication." Sara Gilbert also tweeted her disapproval, and Roseanne then blamed her TV daughter for her firing, telling The Washington Post, "She destroyed the show and my life with that tweet. She will never get enough until she consumes my liver with a fine Chianti."
Roseanne's pattern of making defiant public statements has continued on a regular basis. In 2019, she posted a YouTube video containing a profanity-laced tirade against Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She also went on Candace Owens' podcast to rail against the "MeToo" movement and Christine Blasey Ford, the Stanford professor who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of a 1982 sexual assault during his 2018 confirmation hearings.
Roseanne's latest outburst may be her most offensive and outrageous yet
After her appearance on Candace Owens' podcast, Roseanne doubled down on her comments, expressing her defiance in a text message to Geoff Edgers of The Washington Post. When asked if she had ever considered limiting her public commentary, she replied, "I can't. Do I look like the kind of woman who obeys?"
Roseanne's latest controversial comments could be her most disturbing, however. During an episode of the podcast "This Weekend," Roseanne and host Theo Von were discussing YouTube's policy on de-platforming programs that broadcast untruths. She cited 2020 Presidential election deniers and said that Joe Biden was the winner of the election, a surprising statement given her consistent support for former President Donald Trump.
Roseanne then went on to make a horribly offensive statement denying the Holocaust and stated that a large number of Jewish people should simply drop dead. Both Roseanne and Von later tried to claim that she was merely joking, but there was no humor or sarcasm evident in her remarks, and YouTube has since removed the episode. Given her pattern of making such offensive statements and the degree to which she took things on Von's podcast, it's safe to say Roseanne has burned her last bridge with all but the most outlying fringes of the media.