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Australian network scraps ‘Roseanne’ after tweet row

May 30, 2018 - 11:16

Australia's Ten Network Wednesday joined American counterpart ABC and cancelled hit US sitcom Roseanne, saying it was "appalled and disgusted" by a racist tweet from its star Roseanne Barr.

‘Roseanne’ Cast Reacts to Reboot Cancellation. — AFP Photo
Viet Nam News

SYDNEY — Australia’s Ten Network Wednesday joined American counterpart ABC and cancelled hit US sitcom Roseanne, saying it was "appalled and disgusted" by a racist tweet from its star Roseanne Barr.

Barr’s Twitter rant on Tuesday compared Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President Barack Obama, to an ape, sparking a barrage of criticism.

It led ABC to cancel the series, despite its huge ratings success.

The Ten Network, which airs the show in Australia and was recently purchased by US broadcaster CBS, followed suit, pulling all episodes from its channels.

"Network Ten is appalled and disgusted with Ms. Barr’s racist tweet and has removed Roseanne from TEN and ELEVEN, effective immediately," it said on Twitter.

The show, a revival of the 1990s hit Roseanne, was rebooted in March after a 21-year gap and drew more than 18 million viewers on average each week in the United States.

It had been renewed by ABC for an 11th season after generally positive reviews.

Barr has since deleted her tweet and apologised "for making a bad joke" about Jarrett, who is black.

"I should have known better. Forgive me — my joke was in bad taste," she tweeted. — AFP

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