The comedian returned to the platform hours after her racist tweets aimed at
Valerie Jarrett led to
ABC canceling her hit
sitcom.
Roseanne Barr was back on Twitter Tuesday night trying to defend herself, hours after she said she would leave the platform in the wake of racist tweets aimed at Valerie Jarrett that led to ABC canceling her revived sitcom Roseanne.
Barr went on a tweet storm, retweeting dozens of supportive messages from her followers, including alt-right figures such as Jack Posobiec and Thomas Wictor who continued to peddle conspiracy theories questioning Jarrett's ethnicity and heritage.
The comedian tweeted two direct apologies at Jarrett as well as a plea to her fans. "Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!-I just want to apologize to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet."
She added that she will address the controversy on Joe Rogan's podcast on Friday.
As well as two further apologies to Jarrett, Barr released a statement on Twitter which read: "I deeply regret my comments from late last night on Twitter. Above all, I want to apologize to Valerie Jarrett, as well as to ABC and the cast and crew of the Roseanne show. I am sorry for making a thoughtless joke that does not reflect my values - I love all people and am very sorry. Today my words caused hundreds of people to lose their jobs. I also sincerely apologize to the audience that has embraced my work for decades. I apologize from the bottom of my heart and hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."
In a follow-up tweet, Barr blamed her racist messages attacking Jarrett on "ambien tweeting." "[Guys] I did something unforgiveable 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 defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn't but...don't defend it please. ty," she tweeted.
Earlier Tuesday, Barr attacked Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, in a since-deleted tweet in which she said "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."
Following growing outrage, Barr tweeted that her comments about Jarrett were a "joke" and that she would leave Twitter. "I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste," she tweeted.
ABC responded by canceling her massively successful revival and its Emmy "For Your Consideration" campaign, while talent agency ICM dropped Barr as a client and Viacom networks Paramount Network, TV Land and CMT canceled upcoming reruns of the revival series.
Jarrett herself weighed in on MSNBC's town hall Everyday
racism in America later on Tuesday, saying she hoped that the tweet and ensuing outcry would be "a teaching moment."