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