Roseanne Barr blames sleep aid Ambien for racist tweet
US actress-comedian Roseanne Barr said she was tired of "being attacked and belittled" and blamed sleep aid Ambien for her tweet that compared a black former Obama administration official to an ape, a racist remark that sparked a wave of outrage.
She said in a series of tweets on Tuesday and early yesterday that what she did was "unforgiveable" when she posted on Twitter that if the Islamic political movement "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj," referring to Ms Valerie Jarrett, a former aide to former US president Barack Obama.
"It was 2 in the morning and I was Ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too- i went 2 far & do not want it defended - it was egregious Indefensible," she wrote.
"I made a mistake I wish I hadn't but... don't defend it please."
In other tweets, she said that she was tired of "being attacked and belittled more than other comedians who have said worse" and asked for people not to boycott ABC, saying that the network has the right to "do what they wish".
Walt Disney Co's ABC network on Tuesday cancelled her popular US sitcom Roseanne after her tweet.
The 65-year-old then apologised "for making a bad joke" about Ms Jarrett, who is black and was born in Iran to American parents.
"Don't feel sorry for me, guys!!," Barr tweeted late on Tuesday. "I just want to apologise to the hundreds of people, and wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet."
Ms Jarrett, 61, said on Tuesday that Disney chief executive Bob Iger called her before ABC announced the show's cancellation.
Hollywood talent agency ICM said on Tuesday it will no longer represent Barr. Several networks said it was removing re-runs of her show. Hulu said episodes of the new show would no longer be available on its streaming service.
The original Roseanne ran from 1988 to 1997 and the rebooted Roseanne was ABC's biggest hit of the 2017-2018 season, drawing an average of 18.7 million viewers. - REUTERS
It was 2 in the morning and I was Ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too- i went 2 far & do not want it defended - it was egregious IndefensibleActress Roseanne Barr on her tweetstorm that resulted in her eponymous sitcom being cancelled
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