Roseanne Barr Claims Divine Inspiration Behind Controversial Tweet That Ended Her Career

Comedian and actress Roseanne Barr is once again making headlines after attributing her career-ending 2018 tweet about former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to divine direction. In a candid interview featured in her new documentary Roseanne Is America and published by Variety, Barr claimed, "God told me" to post the tweet, which compared Jarrett to a character from Planet of the Apes-a remark widely condemned as racist.

The tweet, posted during the height of Barr's rebooted Roseanne sitcom on ABC, led to swift backlash and the show's immediate cancellation. Despite public apologies at the time, Barr has since retracted them, saying the apology only made things worse. She now insists that the tweet was political satire gone wrong, and that she was unaware of Jarrett's racial background.

Barr further explained that she had been under the influence of alcohol and Ambien when she made the post. "It wasn't meant to be racist," Barr reiterated, blaming both media distortion and network executives for what she considers the destruction of her career.

In the documentary, Barr also revealed that ABC approached her with an offer to return to the show's spin-off, The Conners, as a ghost-a proposal she refused. "It was a slap in the face," said Barr, calling the idea insulting and exploitative, especially after her character was written off the show via an opioid overdose.

Barr has remained vocal about her support for former President Donald Trump and believes her political stance played a role in her ouster. She continues to criticize ABC and Disney for what she describes as "targeted character assassination."

The Conners concluded its run in April 2025 after seven seasons.

 

 

Tags : roseanne barr Valerie Jarrett