Roseanne Gets the Boot. If Only It Were That Easy
In this toxic environment, corporate leadership can only go so far.
It’s the end of a show, but not the end of the morass.
Photographer: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
Walt Disney Co. has enough headaches. So to shut down one of its hit shows when networks are struggling to attract viewers isn’t easy, but as CEO Bob Iger said, “There was only one thing to do here.”
Disney’s ABC division canceled “Roseanne” on Tuesday after the star of the 1990s revival, Roseanne Barr, tweeted racist remarks earlier in the day about Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. The Donald Trump supporter has come under criticism before for helping to spread conspiracy theories online, including one on Tuesday — yes, Barr did lots of tweeting Tuesday — that Chelsea Clinton is married to a nephew of the billionaire liberal political donor George Soros. (She apologized to Clinton for the misinformation via a tweet, but capped it off with another falsehood about Soros that’s used by the far right.)