Roseanne Barr is under fire for a controversial tweet about Barack Obama’s former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett — and consulting producer Wanda Sykes seemingly quit the Roseanne reboot over the star’s comments.
“Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” Barr, 65, wrote in a since-deleted tweet on Tuesday, May 29. According to The New York Times, the comedian dismissed fans who called her tweet racist, writing, “ISLAM is not a RACE, lefties. Islam includes EVERY RACE of people.”
Later on Tuesday, Barr apologized for her comments and claimed she is “now leaving Twitter.”
“I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr tweeted. “I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.”
I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
It seems her apology may not be enough for Sykes, however, who tweeted, “I will not be returning to@RoseanneOnABC” amid the backlash.
I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
Sykes served as a consulting producer on the ABC reboot of the sitcom for season 1, which aired its season finale on May 22. The show was renewed for a second season shortly after it premiered to huge ratings in March.
Other stars, including Rosie O’Donnell, Patricia Arquette and Don Cheadle, were also quick to react to Barr’s tweet about Jarrett.
“love roseanne quite a bit,” O’Donnell began. “the comment roseanne tweeted was racist and childish and beneath her best self … she has apologized … twitter is a dangerous place.”
Cheadle, meanwhile, tweeted: “you can take @RoseanneOnABC out of racism but you can’t take the racism out of @therealroseanne…”
Arquette, for her part, wrote, “I am repulsed that Valerie Jarret had that racist and bigoted ‘joke’ made at her expense and I am sickened that any Black or Muslim person has to keep hearing this sickness in 2018.”
Us Weekly has reached out to ABC and Sykes comment.
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