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The Cast and Crew of "Roseanne" Made a Deal with the She-Devil

Don’t feel bad for them.

I'm not one to say "I told you so," but...

Last March, I wrote an opinion piece titled "Why I Won't Watch the Roseanne Reboot," and it received a lot of attention! I was even asked to appear on CNN International to discuss why I would not watch the reboot of a show that I adored as a teenager.

The short answer that I carefully crafted, and repeated on air, in print and on-line was: "I am not boycotting the Roseanne reboot because she is a Trump supporter. I am boycotting the Roseanne reboot because she is a very specific type of Trump supporter."

I made it a point to specify that Barr was the type of Trump supporter who peddles in disgusting conspiracy theories, vile racism, and destructive lies. I provided evidence of these incidents, and despite backlash from progressives (many gay friends) who loved the original show and sang in a unified chorus of needing to "listen to the other side," I stood my ground and am proud to say that I never watched one episode. (I did obtain copies of scripts from the first season before writing my original piece.)

Here we are, a few months later, and unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Roseanne went off on a racist twitter rant against Valerie Jarrett, a top former aide to President Obama, where she referred to her as the baby of an ape. This was not the first time Barr has used this racist comparison. In 2013, she tweeted a similar attack about Susan Rice, the first African-American to represent the US at the UN.

The backlash to the racist tweet attacking Jarrett was swift and loud, causing ABC to cancel the successful sitcom.

An hour before ABC canceled the show, beloved black, out lesbian comedian and actress, Wanda Sykes, who served as the shows supervising producer, tweeted "I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC."

LGBTQs and other progressives erupted into cheers of "Good for you!" and "Thank you, Wanda!", and I felt like a traitor to my tribe as I put forth the simple question: Why was she even there in the first place?

Why did any of them agree to work with this woman who had a documented track record of being a heaping pile of rotting trash, festering in the blistering sun?  We knew who Barr was, we knew what she stood for, and we knew the type of horrendous beliefs she supported.

Was it money? A job? Press? A seat at the table in the hopes of making a difference in the tone and scope of the final product?

The last excuse echos sentiments shared by high-powered executives like Bob Iger (Disney), Elon Musk (Tesla), Kenneth Frazier (Merck & Co.) Kevin Plank (Under Armour), and Brian Krzanich (Intel), all who all joined, and ultimately left, Donald Trump’s advisory panel over the decision to leave the Paris Climate accord, or for his racially-charged reaction to the incident in Charlottesville.

Some of these men have spoken of the importance of being a part of the conversation with those in power who you may not agree with, in the hopes of helping shape and execute something properly, or in an attempt to help control and guide the unpredictable and unstable person in charge.

Many asked why they were there in the first place when they knew who Donald Trump was. His statements after Charlottesville were not shocking if you paid attention to what candidate Donald Trump said on the campaign trail. So why were they there?

I ask the same thing of the cast and production team behind the Roseanne reboot.

Ironically, Barr and Trump are quite similar—except Barr has some talent and skill.

Out lesbian Actress, Sarah Gilbert, a co-star and executive producer of the reboot, tweeted her disdain for Barr's words, and sadness for the cast and the crew who were now out of jobs.

I may not be an actor, but as a TV host and personality, I can sympathize with this sentiment. I know what it's like living from gig to gig, and how performers will say "a job is a job"—but this one feels different to me.

Wanda Sykes, Sara Gilbert, Whitney Cummings, John Goodman, and even the goddess Laurie Metcalf, are all in a position to say "No, I cannot stand behind a woman who spews such vile propaganda and lies, nor can I be on a show that bares her name."

I know that a show is not its star's personal beliefs, but in the case of Roseanne, the lines were very blurred. Most of the press the show received was in regards to Barr's support of Trump, her overt racism, and her disgraceful behavior of sharing lies and conspiracy theories. The progressives who were working on the show say that they were trying to making a valiant effort to ensure that both sides of a national conversation were equally represented, and some would argue that they accomplished that, but by even being there, they willingly ignored the devious forces behind their show’s success.

I think anyone who signed on to be a part of the reboot, after knowing what we all knew about her, made a deal with the She-Devil (now available on blu-ray). The moment they signed on the dotted line, they were complicit in Barr’s racist beliefs, and reprehensible rhetoric.

They knew who they were getting into bed with, and as my Aunt Grace used to say, "You lie down with dogs, you get fleas."

I also question why ABC/Disney (a company I have applauded for its LGBTQ inclusiveness and other socially progressive views) would turn a blind eye to Barr’s racism until now? Yes, they knew the show would be a ratings blockbuster as Barr was always a lighting rod for controversy, but did they think beyond that?

Comedian and Actor, Trevon Free, lays out the argument in his tweet.

Just take a moment to observe all the things Roseanne had to do to get canceled:

- call Valerie Jarrett an ape

- accuse dems of child sex trafficking

- tell Hillary Clinton to commit suicide

- accuse Chelsea Clinton of being part of a Jewish conspiracy

- call George Soros a Nazi

The day after the incident, Barr was back on Twitter (after stating that she was leaving it), to go after cast members and production staff from the show for calling her out on her racism. This was, of course, after she deleted a tweet where she said how sorry she was that they all lost their jobs because of her.

She targeted actor Michael Fishman, who played her son, saying, "You throw me under the bus. Nice!"

She also blamed Wanda Sykes for scaring ABC into canceling the show, only to later say that it was a threat of people boycotting their sponsors that caused them to cancel.

She is now going out of her way to attack the same progressives who put their names and reputations on the line to help make her show a hit. This is how she thanks them.

Dogs. Fleas.

Roseanne may be off the air, but the culture that fed Barr’s evil beliefs in real life is still alive and well in America—and it's ready to vote in the midterms elections this November. Are you?

On a lighter note, this hilarious meme made by Dudley Beene could be a nice solution for ABC/Disney, penance for the cast, and a dream come true for fans.

I mean, if they could bring Dan back from the dead, they could easily kill off Roseanne. Maybe they can say she passed from an aneurysm when her TV accidentally flipped from FOX News to an episode of Black-ish.

Either way, this all makes the upcoming reboot of Murphy Brown even more delicious!

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