Roseanne Barr has blamed her Roseanne co-star Sara Gilbert for the cancellation of her sitcom, claiming that a tweet sent by Gilbert “destroyed the show and my life”.
Roseanne was axed by US network ABC in May 2018 after Barr posted a racist tweet about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett. At the time, the comedian pinned the blame for the tweet on the influence of the sedative Ambien, which she said had prompted her to do some “weird stuff”.
Now, however, a new scapegoat has emerged in the form of Gilbert, who plays Roseanne’s daughter Darlene in the sitcom and its spin-off, The Conners. In an interview with the Washington Post, Barr has claimed that a post made by Gilbert condemning Barr’s comments as “abhorrent” was what prompted the show’s cancellation.
“Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least,” Gilbert tweeted at the time.
“She destroyed the show and my life with that tweet,” Barr said. “She will never get enough until she consumes my liver with a fine Chianti.”
Responding to Roseanne’s claims, Gilbert told the Post: “While I’m extremely disappointed and heartbroken over the dissolution of the original show, she will always be family, and I will always love Roseanne.”
According to the Post, both ABC and Barr’s family had concerns about the comedian’s provocative tweeting long before she made her comments about Jarrett, with Barr’s son Buck Thomas resetting her Twitter password in an attempt to curb her presence on the platform.
“I didn’t want her to get in trouble before the show even started,” Thomas said. However, after continued badgering from Barr, Thomas relented and turned over the password.
“I admit it,” Barr told the Post. “I’m a troll. I’m the queen of the f—ing trolls.”