Erin Jensen
USA Today
Published 12:51 p.m. UTC May 31, 2018
Is Roseanne Barr, known for her unique cackle, looking for the last laugh?
After previously directing her Twitter followers “Don’t feel sorry for me, guys!!” and not to boycott ABC, the Roseanne co-creator is seemingly doing an about-face, lashing out at her co-stars for distancing themselves from her tweet and rallying her supporters.
“you guys make me feel like fighting back,” she tweeted Wednesday. “I will examine all of my options carefully and get back to U.”
She encouraged her Twitter fans to emulate the organization of the Follow Back Resistance Party, which she described to followers as “an organized group that boycotts conservatives, Trump and middle of the road ideas-they muster up their folk to make thousands of calls to take ppl off the public airwaves.”
She told them: “We need 2 organize like this!”
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Barr also asked her followers, which as of early Thursday morning stood at more than 820,000, to help her widen her backing with hopes of making more of an impact.
“Can you all help me get more followers here? The more I have the more my words will have weight,” she tweeted. “I am a fighter 4 FAiRNESS in all aspects of US life. I am tired of being smeared-over a stupid mistake erasing 30 yrs of activism.”
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She also insinuated she was a victim in this situation, tweeting, “I think I spent the last 24 hours watching the party of inclusion, diversity, understanding, and acceptance, lynch a Jew.”
Barr also retweeted a Twitter user’s response to a claim that “ABC President Channing Dungey had a long conversation via phone with former First Lady Michelle Obama before deciding to cancel the Roseanne show. Michelle Obama was reportedly enraged and insisted an apology was inadequate.” The response, which Barr retweeted, comes from @BluesBrother91. He said the original tweet “makes alot (sic) more sense then most things…”
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ABC did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s attempt to verify the Michelle Obama claim. It’s also worth noting that Barr has a history of retweeting conspiracy theories.
Tuesday, Dungey issued a statement to USA TODAY denouncing Barr’s original tweet and announcing the network’s decision not to move forward with the show, which had been approved for another season.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” Dungey’s statement read.
Barr’s comment, which has now been deleted, was sent in response to a tweet that accused Jarrett, an African American, of helping “hide” misdeeds for the Obama administration.
“muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” Barr wrote, using Jarrett’s initials.
Contributing: Sara M Moniuszko
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