On May 28th, Roseanne Barr stepped in it something fierce. Disney/ABC responded immediately by firing her and distancing itself.
The Mouse’s Bob Iger didn’t beat around the bush:
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
Barr has since claimed her tweet regarding Valerie Jarrett was written while under the influence of Ambien.
Her comparison of the former Obama advisor to a Planet of the Apes character was not taken lightly by the media world, with virtually every talking head castigating the 65-year-old comedienne due to the fact that Jarrett is black.
However, Jarret is hardly blacker than she is white, her mixed-race ancestry being black, French, Scottish, and American Indian.
Roseanne has said she thought Jarrett was Jewish, like she.
Meanwhile, as most RedState readers are probably aware, on May 30th, TBS’s Full Frontal host Samantha Bee viciously attacked Ivanka Trump — commenting on a photo of her and her baby boy — by calling the President’s daughter a “feckless [c-word].”
By contrast to the reaction of Disney, TBS’s response was worded with support:
Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it.
— TBS Network (@TBSNetwork) May 31, 2018
Of course, these are two separate companies, and they have the right to respond however they wish.
But would TBS — or any major television network — have been likely to support Roseanne, as they might have Bee?
Some would say Roseanne’s comments were worse.
Surely that’s the position of ABC, which has opened the possibility of a Roseanne spinoff. The network, however, has placed a stringent caveat on any new Barr-related show:
Roseanne cannot in any way profit from it.
Therefore, it isn’t enough to fire her; they must ensure she remains a pariah.
TMZ reports the strong interest in a lateral series:
“Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ…the powers that be at ABC are exploring the possibility of re-branding the show and focusing on the character Darlene instead of Roseanne.
“We’re told Sara’s been calling cast members to gauge their interest in the event ABC gives the reboot the green light. We’re told John Goodman is ‘very interested.’
“Our sources say Tom Werner, who produced Roseanne through his company Carsey-Werner, is involved in the effort to reboot the show around Sara.
“What’s more…ABC is desperately trying to salvage the jobs of those who were affected by its swift decision to cancel the show earlier this week … especially for the writers and crew.”
The Hollywod Reporter confirms the network’s ban on anything that might serve the star:
“Multiple sources [claim] the Disney-owned network is open to potential spinoff ideas with a catch: They have to be without Roseanne Barr, and the actress and former head writer of the sitcom would not be able to financially benefit from any new incarnation of the series. A meeting about potential ways to continue TV’s No. 1 show is expected to be held next week, sources say.”
Personally, I can’t recall a company moving this severely against an entertainer for words they expressed. Due to one single sentence, likely haphazardly typed on a cell phone, an entire organization ceased to exist. The quickness with which Disney released the wrecking ball made it seem as if it was already in place and waiting.
Meanwhile, many on the Left have defended Bee, The Daily Beast quoting standup comedienne Nikki Glaser thusly:
“Unless you’re making fun of another woman’s body or looks, I don’t have a problem with women going after other women. I think we need to. Especially if they’re feckless c***s.”
Oh. Okay.
Former Comedy Central host Jon Stewart has no problem with the comment, either:
Roseanne’s tweet was mean. Whether it was intended as a comment on race is something only she knows for sure. But what should be obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention is that, in Hollywood and in the mainstream media, justice doesn’t come in pairs. There is no Left equivalent to the havoc wreaked on any member of the Right for undesirable behavior. When the dust settles, Samantha Bee will herself still have a show; Roseanne will barely be able to show herself.
What do you think about the Roseanne situation? How does it compare to Samantha Bee’s transgression? Please let me know in the Comments.
Check out my previous coverage of Roseanne’s detrimental tweet here and here.
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