Roseanne Barr is breaking her silence again, and this time, she’s holding nothing back. In a new explosive interview with the Daily Mail, the 72-year-old comedian is doubling down on her 2018 firing from ABC, claiming the network was “monitoring everything” she did and waiting for her to make a mistake.
“They spied,” Barr alleged. “They wanted to censor me from the very beginning.” Her fall from grace came swiftly after she tweeted a racially charged comment about former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett in the middle of the night, writing that Jarrett looked like “the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ and ‘Planet of the Apes’ had a baby.” The backlash was immediate and fierce. ABC canceled the highly rated reboot of “Roseanne,” calling the remarks “abhorrent” and “inconsistent with our values.”
But according to Barr, the tweet, which she still insists wasn’t racially motivated, was hijacked and misinterpreted by what she calls liberal Hollywood elites. “They hijacked that tweet and made out it said something that it didn’t,” she said. “’The Planet of the Apes’ movie is about a fascist takeover of the world and that is what I was talking about.”
Barr claims she was unaware of Jarrett’s African-American heritage at the time. She argues the tweet was a misunderstood political jab about authoritarianism and the Iran nuclear deal, and not a racial slur. “I’m not stupid. I would never refer to a black person as the product of an ape,” she added.
Roseanne Barr Says ABC ‘Monitored Everything’ and Regrets Apologizing
The “Roseanne” reboot had been a massive success, even drawing a congratulatory phone call from then-President Donald Trump. But Barr says her outspoken conservative views made ABC executives uncomfortable. “They were waiting for me to slip up,” she said. “They monitored everything I did.”
Looking back, Barr says her only real regret is apologizing. “The worst mistake you can do is apologize to the left,” she said. “Once you admit a mistake, they will keep on until you’re dead.” Despite the controversy, Barr remains defiant, refusing to back down. “I’m unrepentant,” she said. “I know who I am. And I won’t be silenced.”
The comedian is set to revisit her fiery clash with cancel culture in a new documentary titled “Roseanne Barr Is America.” The project is directed by conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert. In the special, Barr gives an unfiltered look at the rollercoaster of her life, from her unconventional childhood and rise to comedy stardom to the tweet that sparked her dramatic fall from grace. She doesn’t hold back as she reflects on the moments that defined her career and the backlash that nearly ended it. With her trademark wit and unshakable defiance, the Emmy-winning star pulls back the curtain on the political firestorm that followed. She unapologetically confronts what she sees as the growing forces threatening free speech in America.
Described as both hilarious and impassioned, the film dives deep into Barr’s views on cancel culture, media bias, and the future of the country. As she puts it, “Roseanne Barr is America,” and she’s ready to be heard again.
