In a recent interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, actress and comedian Roseanne Barr discussed the controversial tweet that got her fired from ABC’s show Roseanne. She compared former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape, sparking outrage. Barr attributed her actions to her health issues, claiming that her recent behavior was a result of her struggles.
Barr mentioned having dissociative identity disorder, revealing that she believed it had flared up during the promotion of the Roseanne reboot. She admitted to ABC that she was not in a mentally balanced place at the time.
She also blamed her reliance on Ambien, a medication for sleep disorders, for her erratic behavior. Barr even shared bizarre experiences of waking up to find food she couldn’t remember eating and evidence of attempting to bake brownies on her kitchen walls.
Addressing the tweet itself, Barr insisted that she did not realize Jarrett’s race when she made the offensive comment. She said, “Her skin tone is like mine. I didn’t know that she was African-American.” Barr mistakenly believed that Jarrett, who was born in Iran, was Iranian.
When confronted about her lack of awareness and the consequences of her words, Barr admitted her mistake, expressing deep regret. She stated that she had apologized, explained herself, and asked for forgiveness. She acknowledged that her careless tweet cost her everything, including her cherished career.
The pharmaceutical company Sanofi, manufacturer of Ambien, responded to Barr’s claim of the medication’s influence on her behavior, stating that racism is not a known side effect of their medication.
Looking to the future, Barr humorously mentioned the possibility of doing porn. On a more serious note, she expressed her love for working in her own studio and her desire to go back on tour and perform standup. She expressed pride in her diverse audience of fans.
ABC, the network that cancelled her show in response to the tweet, had previously issued a statement condemning her words as abhorrent and inconsistent with their values.
Despite the setback, Barr revealed that she had received numerous offers since her firing and is considering them. The first episode of Roseanne was watched by over 18 million viewers, making it AMC’s highest-rated series of the year and leading to an immediate renewal. ABC has now started working on a spin-off called The Conners, featuring the main cast without Barr.
