Roseanne Barr is speaking out against ABC.
The 72-year-old comedian criticized the Disney-owned network for bringing back Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night after the show’s brief suspension.
Barr drew a comparison to her own experience, noting that ABC canceled her Roseanne reboot in 2018 following her controversial tweets about former President Barack Obama’s adviser, Valerie Jarrett.
Jimmy Kimmel returned to his late-night talk show. (Disney via Getty Images)
“I got my whole life ruined, no forgiveness, and all of my work stolen, and was labeled a racist for time and eternity for racially misgendering someone,” Barr told NewsNation on Tuesday.
“It just shows how they think. It’s a double standard,” she added.
The Emmy winner also shared her prediction for how she expected Kimmel’s first show back to unfold.
Barr at Stand Up NY in 2018 in New York City.
“I think he’ll cheer himself on and his fans—all what, 2,000 of them? They’ll feel heartened, like they won another battle against Trump and the American people,” Barr said. “So it’ll be a big celebration: ‘Oh, he’s back,’ and he’ll just double down.”
ABC revived Barr’s iconic sitcom in 2018, but she was abruptly fired in May of that year after saying that Valerie Jarrett, 68, looked like the “offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.”
The network canceled the show despite strong ratings, calling Barr’s remarks “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values.” ABC later launched the spinoff The Conners, which featured several of Barr’s former co-stars and wrote her character out of the series.
Barr on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in April 2018.
At the time, she apologized for the tweet, saying she had believed Jarrett was white.
In her NewsNation interview, Barr claimed her legacy was “erased” after the sitcom’s cancellation.
“I’ve been erased from history, from the history of feminism, which cracks me up,” she said. “I’m never mentioned in anything about women who are pioneers in media. I’m never mentioned in anything anymore.”
Barr on Fox News’ Gutfeld! in 2023.
Last week, ABC temporarily pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! from the air following the host’s remarks about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Kimmel hosting his late-night talk show on ABC.
Following widespread backlash, Disney reinstated Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and the host returned to the air Tuesday night, addressing his controversial comments about Charlie Kirk.
“You understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man. I don’t think there’s anything funny about it,” Kimmel said in his opening remarks, which were punctuated by several standing ovations from the audience.
“I understand that to some, that felt either ill-timed or unclear, or maybe both, and for those who think I did point a finger, I get why you’re upset,” Kimmel added.
The comedian also took repeated jabs at former President Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr during the show, though he stopped short of directly criticizing ABC or Disney.
