In a scathing assessment of Hollywood, Roseanne Barr recently blasted the entertainment industry’s culture in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.
At 70 years old, she reflected on her termination, comparing it to burning a witch at stake and suggesting that Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle experienced far less severe repercussions for similar misconduct than herself.
In 2018, Barr vehemently condemned ABC for terminating her and cancelling her sitcom due to an Ambien induced tweet that compared Valerie Jarrett, a White House advisor at the time, to the Planet of the Apes movies.
The acclaimed actress has since stated she was unaware Jarrett was Black.
“muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” the now-deleted tweet read.
The actress spoke about how the tweet sparked ABC to abruptly end her show, which reportedly ranked highly on the network.
“It felt like I was being burned at stake; they refused me an opportunity to apologize. I had no idea that they so vehemently despised me. It’s because of my talent and courage in voicing my opinion.”
Roseanne’s show was the network’s number one, yet they would rather not have such success. When they killed off her character.
she perceived it as a reminder from the execs that she should take her own life since she had mental health issues.
She attempted to explain herself when asked about it during their initial call but wasn’t given an opportunity; instead of being heard out and apologising for calling Jarrett white in ignorance, Roseanne felt like they decided to label her as a liar right away.
After her 2018 tweet, Barr’s story was all over the tabloids. She vented her dissatisfaction with other Hollywood stars being permitted to keep their jobs despite getting cancelled, expressing that she thought her life’s work had been taken away from her.
“No one else in Hollywood has experienced this,” she said. “Though they always point out Dave Chappelle and Louis C.K., who have both endured some repercussions even though it was a crime for which Louis C.K.’s career suffered while Netflix safeguarded Dave Chapelle.”
In 2017, C.K. candidly admitted to repeatedly masturbating in front of female associates, and Chappelle has received criticism for his jokes directed towards transgender people – yet no one from Hollywood publicly defended (the writer) except Mo’Nique, who is a courageous and close ally. She noted, “I’m the only person that’s lost everything – my life’s work was taken away by those I thought cherished me.”
After the public backlash, Roseanne’s career took a beating. She is now looking to turn it around with her upcoming stand-up comedy show, “Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!” which will air on Fox Nation this Monday (February 13). Moreover, to further explore the twist and turns in her journey back into the spotlight, there is set to be a documentary that launches simultaneously.
