Roseanne Barr: 'I'm not a racist, I never was & I never will be'
Yes, Roseanne Barr is back on Twitter and, yes, she’s tweeting about the racist comment she made toward former Obama administration adviser Valerie Jarrett that got her “Roseanne” reboot series canceled and dropped by her talent agency.
Around noon on Wednesday, Barr took to Twitter to defend her image, insisting she has never been racist, nor will she ever be. Barr said “one stupid joke” would not take away a “lifetime” of fighting for civil rights against networks and studios at the expense of her nervous system, her family and her wealth.
I'm not a racist, I never was & I never will be. One stupid joke in a lifetime of fighting 4 civil rights 4 all minorities, against networks, studios, at the expense of my nervous system/family/wealth will NEVER b taken from me.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
Despite saying she would be leaving Twitter after garnering backlash for the comment, Barr has been active on her account since late Tuesday, blaming her racist tweet on the sleep aid Ambien and retweeting numerous supportive posts, including one by President Donald Trump which castigated Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger for not apologizing for unspecified derogatory comments made on ABC.
Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that “ABC does not tolerate comments like those” made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
All of this comes after Barr apologized to Jarrett on Twitter and urged her fans not to defend her. Despite this, Barr has become increasingly defensive on her account throughout the day, including a recent tweet telling those same fans they made her “feel like fighting back.”
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel weighed in on Twitter as well, urging users to show Barr compassion, adding that “attacking a woman who is obviously not well does no good for anyone.”
What @TheRealRoseanne said is indefensible, but angrily attacking a woman who is obviously not well does no good for anyone. Please take a breath and remember that mental health issues are real. The Roseanne I know could probably use some compassion and help right now.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) May 30, 2018
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