John Lewis, celebs react as ABC cancels ‘Roseanne’

On Tuesday, ABC canceled ‘Roseanne’ after the actress sent a racist tweet comparing Valerie Jarrett, former advisor to President Barack Obama, to an ape.

Barr later apologized on social media, calling her statement a “bad joke,” but Channing Dungey, ABC Entertainment President, released a statement saying: “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”

After the announcment, a range of celebrities, media personalities, activists and politicians including Rep. John Lewis took to Twitter to chime in and they overwhemingly congratulated ABC on their decision to give Roseanne the heave-ho:

Thank you, @ABCNetwork. You did the right thing. There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry.
— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) May 29, 2018

Ton of respect for Bob Iger. Tough decision with financial consequences for his company but right for America....umm..now don't bug Bob but maybe someone else find out if I'm still banned from all of @ABCNetwork for calling Roseanne Barr out first on her racist conspiracy tweets?
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) May 29, 2018

Hey @ABC, Roseanne Barr compared Valerie Jarrett to an ape. There is no apology she can make that justifies @ABC turning a blind eye to this bigotry by airing another second of her show.
Even in the Age of Trump, there are red lines that can never be crossed. This is one.
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 29, 2018

I bet FOX will pick it up & pair it with Tim Allen's show. https://t.co/5MyZf9UT3X via @thr
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) May 29, 2018

But honestly she got what she deserved. As I tell my 4 year old, one makes a choice with one’s actions. Roseanne made a choice. A racist one. ABC made a choice. A human one.
— shonda rhimes (@shondarhimes) May 29, 2018

adios
Roseanne!

good
riddance.

hashtag
NOT Winning.

the
runway is
now clear
for
OUR reboot.

©#CharlieHarperReturns pic.twitter.com/HcqMvIoxCM
— Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) May 29, 2018

From Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.
— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 29, 2018

About the Author

Nedra Rhone

Nedra Rhone is a lifestyle columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where she has been a reporter since 2006. A graduate of Columbia University School of Journalism, she enjoys writing about the people, places and events that define metro Atlanta.

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