Sara Gilbert has responded to the ABC’s cancellation of Roseanne in the wake of Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet saga.
The 43-year-old actress appeared on The Talk, and said: ‘I would like to say that this has been a very difficult week.’
Gilbert added, ‘A lot of people have been hurt by this. I will say I am proud of the show we made. 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. However, I do stand behind the decision that ABC made.’
Gilbert’s co-host Sheryl Underwood, responded, ‘I’m really glad to hear you say that because as a black woman who is a comedian, I’m very, very proud of Channing Dungey, the president of ABC Entertainment. And as Spike Lee says, a lot of people came together to do the right thing and I’m happy to see that it was done swiftly.’
While fellow host Julie Chen agreed, ‘Canceling the show so quickly sent a strong message and the right message, that’s for sure.’
ABC canceled Roseanne on Tuesday, May 29, just a few hours after Barr called former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett the child of ‘muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes’ in a since-deleted tweet.
ABC called the remark ‘abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values.’
SEE MORE: Sara Gilbert and Johnny Galecki plot against Roseanne Barr
According to TMZ sources, a spin off centred around Sara Gilbert’s character Darlene and her children is in the works.
Her character Darlene, a mother of two, ended the rebooted season 10 stuck unhappily in a job as a cocktail waitress on a riverboat casino.
Several season 10 story-lines focused on Darlene’s children Harris (Emma Kenney) and Mark (Ames McNamara), including Harris’ misbehaviour and Mark’s preference for women’s clothing.
The news follows the disgraced actresses first public outing since the scandal broke, with the 65 year old spotted in Utah puffing on a cigarette whilst talking on the phone.
Earlier this week, Barr’s co star John Goodman broke his silence on the controversy.
In a video obtained by ET, the actor can be heard seemingly disinterested in the whole matter.
‘I wasn’t gonna get an Emmy anyway,’ Goodman says in the footage.
‘I’ve been up there [11] times already, and if I didn’t get one I’m not gonna get one,’ he adds.
In this week’s episode of TV podcast, Binge List, Matthew Denby, Clare Rigden and Gavin Scott discuss and debate true-crime drama American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, ABC series Mystery Road and Netflix food doco The Magic Pill. Plus, we ask To Binge Or Not Binge The Good Fight and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and delve into Hidden Gem Dead Boss. Listen below, or on iTunes: http://po.st/syE3JF or OMNY: http://po.st/Bg4FlU
