Sara Gilbert says on "The Talk" that canceling "Roseanne" was the right decision
The hosts of "The Talk" addressed the cancellation of "Roseanne" on Monday. Julie Chen, Sara Gilbert and their co-hosts discussed Roseanne Barr's racist tweet about former senior Obama aide Valerie Jarrett and the show's subsequent cancellation. Gilbert said that ultimately, it was the right thing for ABC to do.
Last week's episodes of "The Talk" were pre-taped, so this was their first opportunity to discuss it on air. On Monday, Chen opened the episode by reading Gilbert's tweets about Barr's comments and the cancellation.
"'Roseanne's recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least,'" Chen read out loud.
"'This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we've created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love— one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member'," she continued.
Last week, Barr hit back at Gilbert and said her tweets were "unreal."
After reading the tweets, Chen turned to Gilbert, who said she had a difficult week following the scandal. The actress looked downcast as she said, "I am proud of the show we made. The show has always been about diversity, love and inclusion."
"It's sad to see it end in this way. I'm sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process, however I do stand behind the decision that ABC has made," Gilbert said.
Her co-host, Sheryl Underwood, said, "As a black woman who is a comedian, I'm very, very proud of Channing Dungey, the president of ABC Entertainment. And as Spike Lee said, a lot of people came together to do the right thing and I'm happy to see it was done so swiftly."
Chen added, "Canceling the show so quickly sent a strong message and the right message, that's for sure," to applause from the audience.
Barr's tweet comparing Jarrett to an ape was posted early last week; on Wednesday Dungey announced that ABC had decided to cancel the "Roseanne" reboot.