Revived sitcom Roseanne returned to its grave Tuesday after ABC canceled its upcoming season over a since-deleted racist tweet shared by the show's star, Roseanne Barr.
Barr, 65, apologized for referring to Valerie Jarrett—a former aide to President Barack Obama—as a by-product of Planet of the Apes and an Islamic group. Aside from her apology, Barr has since declared that she wasn't racist and her comment was attributed to her use of Ambien. The actress acknowledged she would likely never reprise the role again, tweeting: "I'm not getting my job back, genius-it's gone and so r all my old shows."
With the cancellation of Roseanne, more than 200 staffers lost their jobs, CNN reported. Barr's television career with ABC could be nonexistent following her Twitter statement, but it doesn't mean the show couldn't continue on without her.
Fans shared a faux poster on social media that featured Laurie Metcalf's Roseanne character in a spinoff to the revived show—dubbed Jackie. This poster was later shared Tuesday by Big Band Theory star, Jim Parsons. Aside from that, Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired a reimagined version of the reboot that included the cast without Barr's titular character.
"Just because Roseanne is gone, doesn't mean the whole show has to go," late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, 50, said Tuesday. "The show must go on. That's what we say in show business."
Actors Lena Dunham and Mindy Kaling additionally offered their support for Metcalf and her Roseanne co-star, John Goodman. In doing so, Dunham and Kaling both shared their interest in writing new content for Roseanne alum's televised characters.
Throughout television history, there have been a number of high-profile names who have gotten the boot from their starring roles and the shows subsequently carried on. Netflix announced in December 2017 that it's releasing a sixth and final season of House of Cards without star Kevin Spacey, who was replaced by co-star Robin Wright after he faced sexual misconduct allegations in October 2017. CBS fired Charlie Sheen from Two and a Half Men in 2011 after he reneged on his contract. Sheen was later replaced by Ashton Kutcher, who additionally suffered from casting changes when co-star Danny Masterson was fired from their Netflix series The Ranch amid sexual assault allegations in December 2017.
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Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more
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