According to celebrity comedian Roseanne Barr, former First Lady Michelle Obama is to blame for her being fired from her namesake ABC reboot.
The much debated reboot of “Roseanne” was cancelled in May 2018 after the 66-year-old TV star posted a series of tweets that were deemed racist and Islamophobic, including one suggesting that President Barack Obama aide Valerie Jarrett, an African-American who was born in Iran, was like if the "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby".
Although Barr quickly apologised for her tweet, which she called a “bad joke about [Jarrett's] politics and her looks”, it didn’t stop ABC from cancelling the show and giving Barr the sack.
Although she initially blamed the controversial remark on using Ambien sleeping pills and her removal on her support for Donald Trump, now, after several months have passed, she has arrived at another scapegoat– the former first lady. Incidentally, Michelle Obama was brought up in one commenter’s tweet right after the sacking, in late May, with Barr reacting to it. “Is this true?” she asked in response to the claim, although no arguments proved that it was true at the time. This week she appears to have returned to the claim, making incredibly emotional remarks and struggling to substantiate her claims in an interview with The Sunday Times.
"She said, 'This tweet is unforgivable.' That's what I was told and I tend to believe it because the woman who fired me is now working with the Obamas at Netflix", Barr spoke in outrage to the newspaper.
Barr appeared to be referring to Channing Dungey, the former ABC Entertainment president responsible for cancelling "Roseanne". Netflix hired her late last year to focus on original scripts, including content from the Obamas' Higher Ground Productions.
Separately, the comedian shared her fury over ABC continuing to use her characters in the “Roseanne” spinoff "The Conners", fuming about her character having died onscreen in an opioid overdose.
"They think because they killed me it's OK to use me, use the memory of me", she told The Times in indignation. "Still mention me. It's still my show, but they stole it. They are going to do it to other comics. I'm just the first".
Yet, earlier, she okayed the use of characters and cast of “Roseanne” in “The Conners”, voicing regret at “the circumstances that caused” her removal from the production.
“I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved", Barr said in June.
Barr calling out Michelle Obama for her alleged move to get her fired instantly entered the spotlight on Twitter, with many calling her to “own her actions, and blame herself” over the boot.
One even likened her to Donald Trump, assuming she, like him, “doesn’t know how to take responsibility for their actions”, while others went on to take note of the “craziness” of Barr’s remarks.