ROBERT RORKE
ENTERTAINMENT
Don’t act surprised: Roseanne’s outrageous rant is nothing new
By Robert Rorke
May 29, 2018 | 9:29pm
Modal Trigger
Roseanne BarrWireImage
MORE FROM:
ROBERT RORKE
Memorial Day TV honors patriotism
McCain documentary is full of emotion and surprises
'Pose' is a fabulous sashay down New York's memory lane
Your guide to summer 2018's must-see movies, TV and more
The 10 hot summer shows you shouldn't miss
A tiger doesn’t change its stripes — and neither does a foul-mouthed star named Roseanne Barr, whose comeback story of the TV season became its biggest disaster on Tuesday.
That’s when ABC quickly axed her rebooted “Roseanne” sitcom — huge ratings be damned — after Barr’s vile tweet comparing former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to the offspring of the “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes.” And that was only one in a string of her bats–t crazy rants in a late-night/early morning tweetstorm.
It was only a few weeks back that ABC, riding high on those “Roseanne” numbers, quickly renewed the series for a second season — with network group president Ben Sherwood asking advertisers at the ABC upfront presentation for a round of applause for “a woman who has always done it her way.”
Truer words have seldom been spoken. Barr does things her own way, and on Tuesday she cut her own throat, with ABC calling her tweets “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values.”
It wasn’t like ABC wasn’t forewarned regarding Barr’s shenanigans. Shame on them for ignoring the warning signs, of which they were well aware some 30 years ago, when they first aired the original “Roseanne” (1988-97).
Barr, 65, has been a live wire for years — a female Charlie Sheen — indulging in conspiracy theories and strident political opinions. The original run of “Roseanne” included her tumultuous romance with Tom Arnold, her erratic behavior resulting in a steady exodus of show staffers and scandals — including her grabbing her crotch after screeching “The Star-Spangled Banner” during a Padres game in July 1990. (President George HW Bush called her rendition “disgraceful.”) Back then, no one argued with the star of a hit show. ABC, tiring of Barr’s antics and the show’s dwindling ratings, cancelled “Roseanne” in 1997.
MORE ON:
ROSEANNE BARR
White House dodges questions about 'Roseanne' cancellation
Hollywood will use 'Roseanne' as an excuse to get more insular
'Roseanne' reruns pulled after star's racist rant
ABC can't stop gushing about 'Roseanne,' 'American Idol'
But that didn’t stop the combustible Barr from acting out. In 2009, she posed as Adolf Hitler for the satirical publication Heeb (for an article entitled “That Oven Feelin’ ”) — then was sued five years later by the parents of George Zimmerman, acquitted in the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin. She tweeted out their home address and phone number; they sued her for allegedly causing “a lynch mob” to descend on their home. (The claims were dismissed).
Last summer, when the nine-episode pickup of “Roseanne” was celebrated in LA, ABC President Channing Dungey assured suspicious journalists that the network could handle its volatile star.
“[Roseanne] actually publicly announced a few weeks ago that her son is going to be taking over her Twitter feed for the near future,” Dungey said. “We did not ask her to do that, but she did make that decision.”
ABC’s cancellation of “Roseanne” was followed Tuesday by talent agency ICM Partners dropping Barr as a client. The message: Go back to your macadamia-nut farm and STFU.
Like Rosie O’Donnell before her, Roseanne Barr is her own worst enemy who just can’t leave well enough alone and constantly sabotages herself. When we look back on the entertainers wiped from the screen for their revolting behavior, we’re not likely to miss them.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
In Barr’s case, her stay this time was so brief we may not remember that she was there at all.
