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Roseanne Barr blames sleep drug Ambien for racist tweets that got show canceled

<p>ABC canceled its hit sitcom "Roseanne" after the show's star Roseanne Barr made a racist comment on Twitter.</p><p>ABC Entertainment's president announced the revival's cancellation <a href="https://twitter.com/ABC_Publicity/status/1001525303250841600" target="_blank">in a statement</a> on Tuesday. </p><p>She said, "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."</p><p>Barr's now-deleted tweet referred to Valerie Jarrett, one of former President Barack Obama's advisers. The tweet read, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."</p><p>Barr <a href="https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001471669641216005" target="_blank">later apologized</a> for the tweet, saying, "I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks."</p><p>But the backlash to her remarks was swift. Not long after the tweet was posted, <a href="https://twitter.com/iamwandasykes/status/1001494592649342979" target="_blank">Wanda Sykes said</a> she was resigning as a consulting producer on "Roseanne."</p><p>And Barr's co-star <a href="https://twitter.com/THEsaragilbert/status/1001513801546530816" target="_blank">Sara Gilbert said</a> her comments are "abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show."</p><p>The revival of "Roseanne" was supposed to air an 11th season this fall.</p><p>Additional reporting from <a href="http://www.cnn.com" target="_blank">Newsy affiliate CNN</a>.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/solo-has-lackluster-opening-weekend-still-takes-top-spot/">'Solo' Opens To Lackluster Box Office Sales, Still Takes Top Spot</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/harvey-weinstein-surrenders-to-police-to-face-sex-charges/">Harvey Weinstein Formally Charged With Rape, Sex Abuse</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/8-women-accuse-morgan-freeman-of-sexual-harassment/">8 Women Accuse Morgan Freeman Of Sexual Harassment</a></li></ul>
<p>How difficult is it to separate artists from their art? For actress Roseanne Barr and her recently canceled hit sitcom "Roseanne," the difficulties seem to have a lot to do with one thing: attention.</p><p><a href="http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/roseanne-canceled-abc-1202824211/" target="_blank">On Tuesday</a>, Barr described former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as the offspring of the "Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes" in a tweet. That was enough for ABC to give "Roseanne" the ax. Considering the major success of the show, that's a big deal.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="https://www.newsy.com/stories/how-sitcoms-like-roseanne-and-black-ish-tackle-trump/">Telling More Than Just Jokes: How Sitcoms Tackle Politics And Trump</a></b></p><p>But tweets like this aren't at all new for the controversial actress. Past tweets from the actress promoted right-wing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/roseanne-barr-trump-fan-conspiracy-theories-2018-3" target="_blank">conspiracy theories</a>, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/roseanne-barr-david-hogg-parkland-nazi-tweets?utm_term=.innRzkokE#.kjgdLO1OJ" target="_blank">spread violent</a> and <a href="https://www.advocate.com/people/2018/4/17/dont-forget-roseannes-transphobia" target="_blank">transphobic statements</a> and even <a href="https://www.salon.com/2018/05/29/roseanne-barr-apologizes-to-valerie-jarrett-for-ape-tweet-she-called-susan-rice-the-same-in-2013/" target="_blank">similarly compared</a> other black women to apes. So, what ultimately crossed the line for ABC?</p><p>To answer that question, we need to look at what first drove the reboot of "Roseanne."</p><p>After the major success of the reboot, it became <a href="https://thetylt.com/politics/conservative-television-roseanne" target="_blank">clear to viewers</a> and the <a href="http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/sara-gilbert-roseanne-ratings-1202738804/" target="_blank">entertainment industry</a> that there was a desire to see more working-class conservatives on screen.</p><p>That desire to see Roseanne Connor and her family may have overshadowed the controversies of Roseanne Barr herself — to the point that one of the series' showrunners <a href="https://www.bustle.com/p/separating-roseanne-barr-roseanne-conner-may-be-easier-said-than-done-despite-the-showrunners-comments-8689739" target="_blank">encouraged viewers</a> to "watch the show without the accompanying background noise."</p><p><a href="https://www.damemagazine.com/2018/03/23/reckoning-with-roseanne-my-tv-mom/" target="_blank">Barr's costars</a> and <a href="http://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/if-you-can-somehow-separate-roseanne-barr-from-roseanne-connor-youll-love-the-revival" target="_blank">media critics</a> continued to spread the sentiment that there was a difference between the two Roseannes — real and fictional.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="https://www.newsy.com/stories/cnn-drops-reza-aslan-s-believer-after-trump-tweets/">CNN Loses Faith In Reza Aslan, Drops 'Believer'</a></b></p><p>But that argument didn't hang around very long — especially when the attention surrounding the series <a href="https://screenrant.com/roseanne-revival-ratings-low/" target="_blank">died down</a> after its debut, and the first season of the reboot <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094540/episodes" target="_blank">concluded</a> earlier this month. </p><p>Barr's behavior on social media seems to have finally overshadowed her on-screen persona, and following online backlash and <a href="https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001471669641216005" target="_blank">apology from</a> the actress, the network was no longer able to separate the artist from her art.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/morgan-freeman-asks-cnn-to-retract-article-about-him/">Morgan Freeman's Lawyer Asks CNN To Retract Report</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/abc-cancels-roseanne-after-roseanne-barr-s-racist-tweet/">ABC Cancels 'Roseanne' After Roseanne Barr's Racist Tweet</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/stories/solo-has-lackluster-opening-weekend-still-takes-top-spot/">'Solo' Opens To Lackluster Box Office Sales, Still Takes Top Spot</a></li></ul>
Las Vegas distancing itself from Roseanne Barr
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In a since-deleted tweet, Roseanne Barr blamed the sleep drug ambien for the racist tweets that eventually got her popular television show canceled.

"guys I did something unforgiveable (sic) so do not defend me. It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defeneded-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn't but...don't defend it please. ty," Barr tweeted Tuesday evening.

Throughout the evening on Tuesday, Barr posted multiple times on Twitter — despite promising to leave the platform earlier in the day after her first controversial tweet. 

"hey guys, don't defend me, it's sweet of you 2 try, but...losing my show is 0 compared 2 being labelled a racist over one tweet-that I regret even more," Barr tweeted around midnight on Tuesday. She also thanked her supporters before logging off early Wednesday morning.

Barr retweeted 38 tweets on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning — including news stories, commentary, and a few tweets promoting right-wing conspiracy theories.

Her tweets came hours after she said she was "leaving Twitter" when the controversy broke Tuesday morning.

The fallout comes as networks continue to distance themselves from the comedienne. Viacom networks will no longer air reruns of the program, as well as the Laff Network (note: The E.W. Scripps company, the owner of this station, also owns the Laff Network).

Las Vegas venues are also distancing themselves from Barr. On May 5, she had performed at a Orleans Casino. But Tuesday, Boyd Gaming Scripps station KTNV in Las Vegas that they have no existing agreements for any more shows with Barr at any of their properties in future.

Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.