Roseanne Star Roseanne Barr Says Sitcom Was “Rightfully” Canceled After Comedian’s 2018 Racist Tweets

Roseanne Barr defended the cancellation of the ABC sitcom Roseanne in remarks reported Tuesday, characterizing the show’s abrupt end as “rightful” after a wave of criticism over racist tweets she had posted in 2018. The comments came as Barr faced renewed public scrutiny around the circumstances that led to the series’ removal from broadcast in the same year, according to the entertainment coverage.

The backlash centered on tweets Barr posted during 2018 that were widely described at the time as racist and that triggered immediate backlash from audiences and advertisers. Barr later apologized for the posts, and in the new reporting she returned to that episode, arguing that the outcome that followed was warranted rather than imposed unfairly.

Barr’s remarks were described as tearful and framed as a response to what the report called a “court of public opinion.” She pointed to the broader consequences her posts brought to the show, its cast, and the network, according to the account, and said she believed the cancellation reflected an appropriate response to the controversy.

The report also surfaced discussion tied to the Roseanne reboot era, including the way public reaction moved quickly in 2018. In that period, ABC canceled the series following the social media controversy, ending the show’s run and halting plans connected to the franchise, the report says.

In the same coverage, Roseanne cast member Michael Fishman was referenced in connection with discussions about the Roseanne reboot’s cancellation, as indicated by the accompanying image caption. The caption describes Fishman discussing the reboot’s cancellation while referencing a social-media comment overlaid on the image, linking the personal impact of the cancellation to the public record of the dispute.

Barr’s latest defense arrives as conversations about on-air talent and off-screen conduct continue to shape studio and network decisions across broadcast and streaming. In the Roseanne case specifically, the dispute now includes not only the original tweets and apology, but also Barr’s assessment of whether the network response was appropriate and how the episode should be understood in retrospect.

The record on the issue remains rooted in the 2018 sequence: tweets that drew intense backlash, a subsequent apology by Barr, and an ensuing cancellation. Barr’s comments, as presented in Tuesday’s coverage, do not alter the timeline that led ABC to remove the series, but they add a new public-facing explanation for why she says the decision was justified.

For audiences and stakeholders, the renewed attention underscores how swiftly social media controversies can translate into network action, and how apologies may or may not settle the broader public debate. The latest remarks also suggest that the controversy may continue to be revisited in interviews and retrospectives tied to the Roseanne franchise.