Sara Gilbert on ‘Roseanne’ Cancellation: ‘It’s Sad to See it End This Way’
Roseanne co-star Sara Gilbert reflected on the series’ cancellation and its overall legacy following Roseanne Barr‘s racist tweet during Monday’s episode of The Talk. “I would like to say this has been a very difficult week,” said the show’s co-host. “A lot of people have been hurt by this. I will say I am proud of the show we made. The show has always been about diversity, love and inclusion. And it’s sad to see it end in this way.”
Gilbert – who played Barr’s daughter, Darlene Conner, throughout the show’s original run and its recent, nine-episode reboot – also emphasized that she supports ABC’s decision to axe the program. “I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process,” she said. “However, I do stand behind he decision that ABC has made.”
The network swiftly canceled the revived Roseanne following Barr’s tweet about former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett (“muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj”) on May 29th. The comic actress’ agency, ICM Partners, dropped her as a client, with Viacom pulling reruns of the original Roseanne from Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT.
Gilbert quickly condemned Barr’s comment on Twitter, writing, “Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.” She added that the show itself is “separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”
Barr initially promised to leave Twitter after the backlash but returned hours later, blaming her racist message on the insomnia medication Ambien and apologizing directly to Jarrett. Later, she claimed to have “begged” Disney-ABC Television Group President Ben Sherwood not to cancel the series.