Roseanne Barr Apologizes for Racist Valerie Jarrett Tweet

Roseanne Barr, star of the rebooted ABC sitcom Roseanne, apologized to former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett for a racist and since deleted tweet that alleged a connection to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Barr, a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump wrote in a tweet, “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” The initials “vj” are a reference to Jarrett’s initials. Barr’s tweet was a reply to a tweet that accused Jarrett of helping to cover up alleged misdeeds by the Obama administration.

Users commented that the tweet seemed racist. “Muslims r NOT a race,” Barr replied. Barr did delete the tweet. In a subsequent tweet, Barr said it was a joke.

 

The comedian and TV star pivoted again and did apologize.

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001471669641216005

About five minutes later, Barr posted another tweet announcing she was leaving Twitter.

https://twitter.com/therealroseanne/status/1001470384556752898

What “leaving Twitter” means is unclear. Barr’s Twitter account was still active as of noon ET on Tuesday.

The apology and deleted tweet weren’t enough to stem the damage. A few hours after Barr’s tweet, Wanda Sykes, a consulting producer on the Roseanne show, tweeted she will not be returning.