In the wake of ABC’s decision to cancel ‘’Roseanne’’ after a racist tweet from its star Roseanne Barr, Twitter was full of reactions from the bigwigs of Hollywood.
ABC’s decision to cancel ‘’Roseanne’’ following its lead actor Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet has attracted mixed reaction on Twitter. While some of the stars slammed Barr for her racist tweet, others questioned why in the first place the show was rebooted, and what will happen to other cast members now that the show is history.
The most vocal response to ABC’s decision came from none other than ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey who called Roseanne’s Twitter statement as ‘’abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values’’.
Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney which is the parent company of ABC Entertainment, added: ‘’ “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.”
From Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 29, 2018
‘’Roseanne’’ was revived in March on ABC and its first episode drew a massive audience of over 18.2 million viewers, making it the second-most-hit scripted television show of the current season. The main character of the show was Roseanne Barr who was portrayed as a Trump supporter.
However, despite its popularity, the show has been controversial of late. For instance, in an episode earlier this month, Roseanne asks her sister whether she thinks ‘’terrorists’’ are living next door, as a Muslim family lives next door to the Conners.
What nobody could have predicted, however, was the tweet which came from Roseanne Barr yesterday. In her tweet, Barr called Valerie Jarrett, a former White House aide, an offspring of the ‘’Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes’’.
Remember, Jarret is a black woman was born in Iran to American parents. Even when Twitter users pointed that the comment was racist, Barr replied by saying that ‘’Muslims r NOT a race’’. However, as more and more Twitter users shamed her, Barr announced she was ‘’leaving Twitter’’ and that she was truly sorry for a ‘’bad joke’’.
In the wake of backlash and Barr’s decision to quit Twitter, Wanda Skyes, a consulting producer of ‘’Roseanne’’, announced she would not be working on the second season of the show.
I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
Meanwhile, Tom Werner, who is the executive producer of the show, said he supports ABC’s decision to cancel the show.
Show E.P. Tom Werner said in a statement that he hoped "Roseanne seeks the help she so clearly needs."
— (((Let X=X))) 🌻 (@espiegler) May 30, 2018
Shonda Rhimes, who has appeared in several shows on NBC (but currently has a deal with Netflix), also tweeted in support of ABC’s decision. She said: ““Thank you, Channing. #justice.”
Thank you, Channing. #justice
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) May 29, 2018
Later, in a separate tweet, she added: ‘’ “But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one’s actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one.”
But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one’s actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) May 29, 2018
Kumail Nanjiani also took to twitter and posted that he was ‘glad Roseanne is cancelled. The backlash to its cancellation is going to be a deafening nightmare. Nothing good has come out of this entire thing.”
https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1001522829748301825
