According to The Hollywood Reporter, famous 80’s sitcom star Roseanne Barr (The Nanny, Home on the Range, She-Devil) sat down to interview with the Los Angeles Times where she talked about her original show Roseanne and its short lived revival in 2017. Barr talked about the aftermath and getting herself canceled a year later in 2018, for a series of racist tweets at two in the morning directed at Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who was a senior adviser to Barack Obama. Barr also talked about ABC firing her from a show titled after her name and later rebranding it to The Conners while other comedians such as Louis C.K. and Dave Chapelle have had cancellable transgressions but allegedly did not suffer as much as she did. The interview was released yesterday on February 9th
Barr ranted, “They didn’t do it to anyone else in Hollywood, although they always mention Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K.,” she complained “Well, Louis C.K. did lose everything, but he committed an actual offense. And Dave Chappelle was protected by Netflix. I’m the only person who’s lost everything, whose life’s work was stolen, stolen by people who I thought loved me. And there was silence. There was no one in Hollywood really defending me publicly, except for Mo’nique, who is a brave, close, dear friend.”
As Barr referenced in her interview, Dave Chappelle (The Nutty Professor, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, You’ve Got Mail) had some offensive material in his Netflix stand-up special ‘The Closer’ in late 2021 involving the transgender community that was not met with applause, only ridicule and anger. Then, Louis C.K. (The Secret Lives of Pets, The Last Laugh, Fourth of July) also had a life altering scandal in 2017 when he admitted that he masturbated in front of female colleagues. Both are continuing their stand up careers and still get stand up specials as well as Grammy awards for their work after their psuedo-cancelation.
Barr continued saying, “It was a witch-burning. They denied me the right to apologize. Oh my God, they just hated me so badly. I had never known that they hated me like that. They hate me because I have talent, because I have an opinion. Even though Roseanne became their No. 1 show, they’d rather not have a No. 1 show…. When they killed my character off, that was a message to me – knowing that I’m mentally ill or have mental health issues – that they did want me to commit suicide.” ABC had no comment on Barr’s interview.
To end the interviews she utters “I’m so happy that this is the most offensive in my stand-up that I’ve ever had the balls to be.” Roseanne’s new stand-up special ‘Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!’ will premiere on Monday February 13th on Fox Nation.