That’s what friends are for. Julie Chen praised fellow The Talk cohost Sara Gilbert for her reaction following Roseanne Barr’s controversial comments that resulted in the cancellation of the Roseanne reboot.
“I’m just so impressed by everything that she has done. She put together our show, The Talk,” Chen told Us Weekly of her colleague at the FYC event on Tuesday, June 5. “She’s the one who single-handedly is responsible for getting Roseanne, the revival, back on the air.”
“I was so impressed by her comments [when] she said, ‘I support that the decision for ABC to cancel it,’ and see the compassion that she had for everyone who has lost their job. Their life depended on it,” the Big Brother host, 48, continued, referring to a statement Gilbert made on The Talk on June 4 after ABC announced on May 29 that it was cancelling the show. “It was a strong, powerful statement, and I was proud to be there, sitting with her, as her friend and colleague.”
During that episode of The Talk, Gilbert, 43, shared her dismay at the impact of Barr’s actions. “A lot of people have been hurt by this. I will say I am proud of the show we made,” said the actress, who starred as daughter Darlene Conner during the sitcom’s original run from 1988 to 1997, then reprised the role in the reboot. “The show has always been about love, diversity and inclusion, and it’s sad to see it end in this way. I am sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process.”
As previously reported, Barr, 65, faced major backlash after she tweeted a racist comment about Barack Obama’s advisor Valerie Jarret, calling her the child of “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes.” The stars and crew members lost their jobs as a result.
The Roseanne’s Nuts alum later apologized to the “hundreds of people and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors” who were affected by her actions and blamed her racist tweet on being under the influence of Ambien. Despite claiming she would be quitting Twitter, she took to the social media site on Tuesday, June 5, and cryptically wrote, “I’m making restitution for the pain I have caused.”
Although the reboot only ran for one season, it broke records during its short life span. More than 18.1 million people tuned in for the show’s March season premiere and ABC quickly renewed it.
While Roseanne might be over, Darlene’s story may not be. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is discussing the possibility of a spinoff centered around Darlene, and would also feature the show’s existing cast, including John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf.
Wih reporting by Nicholas White
