Roseanne Fallout Continues

What a week! Since a racist tweet comparing former Barack Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape got her titular sitcom canceled by ABC, Roseanne Barr has gone quiet.

But between sending that infamous tweet and canceling a scheduled and highly promoted appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, she apologized to the Roseanne cast and crew for costing them their jobs, criticized and then forgave cast members who publicly tweeted their disappointment in her statements, blamed Ambien for her racist tirade, blamed Disney–ABC head Ben Sherwood for canceling the show after she begged to keep it on and promised to continue her fight.

• As of Thursday night, she signed off of Twitter, saying she would land on the Joe Rogan Experience Friday to “unpack” what she had done and why “for yr fans”
• But she was a no-show on Friday. Rogan tweeted: “The Roseanne podcast is not happening today. She’s not doing well and doesn’t want to travel, and she’s gone radio silent on me, so I’m just going to step away. The whole thing has been pretty brutal on her, and I hope she can find some peace.”

SPINOFF

• Meanwhile, reports are circulating that there will be a spinoff of the successful spinoff. (The rebooted Roseanne scored epic ratings; 27 million viewers tuned in for the premiere, which had been re-upped for another season, and canceling the show was estimated to cost the network $60 million in ad revenue).
• Sara Gilbert, one of the stars of Roseanne (and a producer on the show and one of the architects of the revival) will reportedly star in the spinoff. John Goodman is also reportedly “very interested.”
• The Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore has known Barr for 25 years, and he spoke out about the controversy in a lengthy post on Facebook.
• “Roseanne seems to be suffering from some sort of madness. It’s more than just saying she’s a racist,” Moore writes. “She operates in the same sewer of lies, conspiracy theories and bigotry that’s been rising in America for years and that has now succeeded in electing our current president. Totally nuts.”
• “But she is also a damaged soul. Most people don’t know that she has suffered her entire life from a massive head injury she received during a serious car accident when she was a child. Her brain injuries were immense and she spent months in the hospital struggling to recover,” he continues.
• “Roseanne has been in a downward spiral, ranting like crazy on Twitter, spreading conspiracy theories, attacking the people she used to love, supporting Trump, and being just an outright hateful and racist person. It has been a difficult decline to witness,” Moore adds.
• But still, he says he hopes that Roseanne the show will live on in some form, minus Barr.

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