John Lewis praises ABC for canceling ‘Roseanne’: ‘You did the right thing’

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) praised ABC on Tuesday for canceling “Roseanne” following Roseanne Barr’s racially charged comments about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.

“Thank you, @ABCNetwork. You did the right thing. There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry,” the civil rights icon tweeted.

Thank you, @ABCNetwork. You did the right thing. There is not any room in our society for racism or bigotry.

— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) May 29, 2018 

Lewis’s comments came shortly after the network announced it was nixing “Roseanne” amid backlash to Barr sending a tweet in which she referred to Jarrett as a child of the Islamist organization the Muslim Brotherhood and the movie “Planet of the Apes.”

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Barr apologized for the since-deleted tweet on Tuesday, calling it a “bad joke” and saying that she would be leaving the social media platform. 

I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.

— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018

I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.

— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018

The sitcom reboot was ABC’s top-rated comedy, with its March premier reportedly averaging 18.1 million viewers. The show was also the highest-rated regularly scheduled scripted show of the last few seasons.

Barr’s tweet spurred the show’s consulting producer Wanda Sykes to part ways with “Roseanne,” while actress Sara Gilbert, who plays Barr’s on-screen daughter, also condemned her remarks about Jarrett.

I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.

— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018

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.

— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018

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.

— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018

Disney CEO Bob Iger defended the network’s decision to cancel the show on Tuesday, saying it was the only option. 

From Channing Dungey, President of ABC Entertainment: “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”
There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing.

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) May 29, 2018