It was only a matter of hours after ABC pulled the plug on her hit show, Roseanne, when Roseanne Barr turned to Twitter to try and explain herself. In a surprising twist, she claimed her controversial racist joke about former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett wasn't entirely her fault—it was the sleeping drug Ambien, she insisted. But can a pill really be blamed for such a public meltdown? Let's dive deeper into what went down and the fallout from this explosive situation.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, folks! I just want to sincerely apologize to the hundreds of people, the brilliant writers (all liberals, by the way), and the incredibly talented actors who lost their jobs because of my reckless tweet,” Roseanne wrote in an emotional post. “Listen, I did something unforgivable, so please don’t try to defend me. It happened at 2 in the morning, and I was under the influence of Ambien. It was Memorial Day too. I crossed a line, and I don’t want anyone defending it. What I said was absolutely egregious and indefensible. I messed up, and I wish I hadn’t, but please, don’t defend it,” she pleaded.
https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001675404468457472
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Roseanne didn’t stop there. She personally reached out to Valerie Jarrett with a direct apology, writing, “@ValerieJarrett, I want to sincerely apologize to you. I deeply regret hurting you. I hope you can accept this heartfelt apology.” Valerie, however, saw the situation as a teaching moment. Speaking on MSNBC, she expressed concern not just for herself, but for the countless individuals who face racism every day. “I’m okay. But I worry about all the people out there who don’t have a supportive circle of friends and followers to defend them,” she said. “Think about the person walking down the street minding their own business, only to be treated with suspicion. Or the countless black parents who have to sit down and have 'the talk' with their sons, teaching them how to navigate a world filled with bias. These everyday examples of racism are far too common.”
But Roseanne’s Ambien excuse didn’t sit well with everyone. Just hours after her tweet, a spokesperson for Ambien manufacturer Sanofi hit back. In a statement to TMZ, they said, “At Sanofi, people from all races, religions, and nationalities work tirelessly every day to make the world a better place. While all medications have potential side effects, racism is not—and never will be—a known side effect of any Sanofi drug.”
Roseanne Barr’s Original Tweet: What Was Said?
It all started on Memorial Day, May 28, when Roseanne took to Twitter to make a comparison that shocked many. She likened Valerie Jarrett, a black woman, to an ape in response to a conspiracy theory about the Obama administration. “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj,” she tweeted, using Valerie’s initials. The tweet was quickly deleted, but the damage was done. The following day, despite her attempts to apologize, ABC pulled the plug on her show with a strong statement: “Roseanne’s Twitter post is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values. Therefore, we have decided to cancel her show.”
Roseanne’s co-stars were quick to distance themselves from her remarks. Her on-screen daughter, Sara Gilbert, was particularly vocal. “Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, along with so much else, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone involved with the show. I’m incredibly disappointed by her actions,” Sara wrote. “This is heartbreaking and challenging for all of us. We’ve built a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love—a show that stands apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”
Roseanne, now 65, was swiftly dropped by her talent agency as well. ICM Partners issued a firm statement, saying, “What she wrote goes against everything we stand for, both as individuals and as an agency. As a result, we have informed her that we will no longer represent her.”
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While some fans still rally behind Roseanne, she has taken full responsibility for her actions and doesn’t hold a grudge against ABC for canceling her show, which was the highest-rated scripted series of the season. “Please don’t start that boycott ABC nonsense,” she added. “I’m not one to censor others, and they have every right to make the decisions they feel are best. It’s all okay. Thanks, though, guys!”
