‘Roseanne’ cast reacts to reboot cancellation

The cast of Roseanne took to social media to react to the news that ABC had canceled the reboot on Tuesday, May 29, after star and cocreator Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet.

In the since-deleted tweet, the 65-year-old actress called Valerie Jarrett, an ex-adviser to former president Barack Obama, an offspring of “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” She later apologized, tweeting that her “joke was in bad taste.” But hours later, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey announced in a statement, “Roseanne’s Twitter is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel our show.”

Michael Fishman

“Today is one of the hardest in my life. I feel devastated, not for the end of the Roseanne show, but for all those who poured their hearts and souls into our jobs, and the audience that welcomed us into their homes,” Fishman, who played D.J. Conner, tweeted on Tuesday. “Our cast, crew, writers and production staff strived for inclusiveness, with numerous storylines designed to reflect inclusiveness. The words of one person do not exemplify the thinking of all involved. I condemn these statements vehemently. They are reprehensible and intolerable, contrdicting [sic] my beliefs and outlook on life and society. … We must stand up against; bias, hatred, bigotry and ignorance to make society a better place for all.”