‘Roseanne’ + 25 Other TV Shows Rocked By Major Controversies
In what was perhaps the most abrupt cancellation in TV history, ABC axed its Roseanne reboot on Tuesday (May 31) after star Roseanne Barr tweeted a racial slur about former President Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarett. Barr subsequently apologized, but the damage was done, and more than 200 people have now lost their jobs on the series as a result of her comment.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement announcing the news.
But while the swiftness of the decision came as a surprise, the decision did not. Barr has a history of making problematic remarks online, and it seems as though, whether ABC wanted to or not, the series was destined for decline: Co-showrunner Whitney Cummings announced her exit earlier this month, consulting producer Wanda Sykes said she was leaving shortly after Barr's tweet, and Emma Kenney, who played Roseanne’s granddaughter Harris, was apparently minutes away from calling her manager to quit.
Roseanne is also far from the first series, particularly in recent months, to get the ax after a controversy. See 25 other shows rocked by major scandals below.