Roseanne Barr calls Jimmy Kimmel return from suspension a ‘double standard’

Roseanne Barr slams ABC for allowing Jimmy Kimmel’s return, contrasting it with her 2018 show cancellation over tweets

Comedian Roseanne Barr has criticized ABC for what she claims is a double standard in how the network treats public controversies involving its stars.

In a recent interview with NewsNation, Barr questioned why late-night host Jimmy Kimmel was allowed to return to ABC after a suspension, while her own show was permanently canceled in 2018. Barr, 72, said ABC "ruined" her life after it pulled the plug on her "Roseanne" reboot following a tweet comparing former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to the "Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes." Barr later apologized, saying the post was a misguided joke and that she mistakenly believed Jarrett was white.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by NewsNation (@newsnationnow)

“I got my whole life ruined, no forgiveness and all of my work stolen and called a racist for time and eternity,” Barr told NewsNation. “It just shows how they think. It’s a double standard.”

Barr contrasted her situation with Kimmel's, referencing his past use of blackface to impersonate NBA player Karl Malone on “The Man Show.” Kimmel has since apologized for those sketches. Barr also criticized co-host of The View, Joy Behar, who has faced scrutiny for a past Halloween costume. Behar denied wearing blackface, saying the look was meant as "an homage."

The former sitcom star, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, also took aim at Kimmel’s audience, calling them “2,000” fans who would “feel heartened” by his return as a win against Trump supporters.

Barr claimed her legacy, especially as a female media pioneer, has been “erased,” saying, “I’m never mentioned in anything about women who are pioneers in media.”

Barr previously addressed these grievances in her 2023 Fox Nation stand-up special, Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!

ABC has not publicly responded to Barr’s recent comments.