clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
We have a request We’re aiming to add 2,500 contributions this month to support our clear and accessible policy coverage and so much more. Will you help us get there by making a contribution today?

Filed under:

  • Stream
Roseanne

ABC cancels Roseanne

ABC has confirmed that Roseanne is canceled following a racist Twitter tirade from star Roseanne Barr.

Contributors: Vox Staff

ABC has confirmed that Roseanne is canceled following a racist Twitter tirade from star Roseanne Barr, which ABC president Channing Dungey described in a statement as “repugnant and inconsistent with our values.”

Roseanne’s revival has long been overshadowed by its star’s vocal political opinions. Barr is a Trump supporter who has embraced and amplified conspiracy theories on Twitter, and who has a history of comparing black women to apes. So when she went on Twitter on May 29 to amplify a few conspiracy theories and to say that Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett looked like “the muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby,” it was not exactly out of character for her.

But none of her previous behavior has had a hugely detrimental effect on the ratings success of the Roseanne revival, which was confirmed for a second season (the sitcom’s 11th season overall) within days of its debut. Now that second season has apparently fallen victim to its star’s politics.

10 Total Updates Since
May 29, 2018, 2:03pm EDT
  • October 17, 2018

    The Conners killed off Roseanne via opioid overdose. The real Roseanne Barr is not happy.

    By Alex Abad-Santos

    Barr wants you to know she’s alive.

  • May 30, 2018

    Trump is “not spending his time” on Roseanne. He tweeted about her anyway.

    By Alissa Wilkinson

    And he made the story about himself.

  • May 30, 2018

    Roseanne had a busy night on Twitter following her show’s cancellation

    By Aja Romano

    Her return to Twitter was a confusing mix of apology, defensiveness, and Ambien.

  • May 30, 2018

    Ambien maker to Roseanne: “racism is not a known side effect” of our drug

    By Julia Belluz

    Sanofi’s Ambien can, on occasion, cause strange side effects. But they don’t include racial slurs.

  • May 29, 2018

    The response to Roseanne Barr’s racist tweets was swift. That hasn’t always been the case.

    By P.R. Lockhart

    Barr’s Valerie Jarrett tweet was racist. The media rarely acknowledges that so quickly.

  • May 29, 2018

    Roseanne’s Twitter has been full of racism and conspiracy theories for a decade

    By Jane Coaston

    ABC canceled Roseanne’s show over a racist tweet. Here’s what came before it.

  • May 29, 2018

    Why ABC had to cancel Roseanne

    By Emily St. James

    It’s not (just) because it was the right thing to do.

  • May 29, 2018

    Roseanne was canceled. It isn’t the only sitcom tackling politics and the working class.

    By Caroline Framke and Emily St. James

    From Mom to Superstore, the comedies already making sitcoms great again.

  • May 29, 2018

    Roseanne goes full conspiracy theorist on Chelsea Clinton

    By Jane Coaston

    Trump’s favorite TV star was busy on Twitter this morning.

  • May 29, 2018

    ABC cancels Roseanne following “abhorrent, repugnant” comment from Roseanne Barr

    By Constance Grady

    Barr went on a bizarre, conspiracy-theory-filled Twitter rant Tuesday.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for Vox Recommends

Get curated picks of the best Vox journalism to read, watch, and listen to every week, from our editors.