The show was still recognized by the Television Academy despite its star’s controversial tweet and comments about race.
When The Handmaid’s Tale actress Samira Wiley and New Amsterdam star Ryan Eggold presented the official class of nominees for the 70th Emmy Awards, Roseanne was listed among them -- despite its swift cancellation following co-creator and star Roseanne Barr’s controversial tweet.
The show picked up two nominations, including one for Laurie Metcalf for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
“I want to say a huge congratulations to Laurie Metcalf who was nominated for another Emmy,” co-star and executive producer Sara Gilbert said on The Talk following the announcement. “That gives her an Emmy, an Oscar and a Tony nomination. She won the Tony, but to be nominated for all three is such an exclusive category of so few people. Congratulations, I love you, Laurie.”
As ET previously reported, when the ABC comedy made a historic return to primetime TV with season 10 and an early renewal, it became a front runner at the Emmys, with chatter that it could earn its first Outstanding Comedy Series nomination. But Roseanne’s return was not without controversy, thanks to its politically charged story lines and, of course, Barr’s racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett that led to the swift cancellation of the revival.
While submissions for the Emmys were due in April, ABC suspended its FYC campaign in May. And in footage obtained by ET, co-star John Goodman didn’t seem confident he had any real shot at an Emmy win. “I wasn’t gonna get an Emmy anyway," he said. (The actor was previously nominated seven times for his role, winning none.)
But despite the cancellation and outrage over Barr’s personal politics, there was hope that the rest of the cast, including Goodman, Sara Gilbert -- who also served as executive producer on the revival -- and Laurie Metcalf, who has won three Emmys for playing Jackie, would be recognized.
For Metcalf, this marks her fifth nomination for playing Jackie. She’s won the category three times for the role, while earning 10 nominations -- including three in 2016 -- over the course of her career. The actress is currently enjoying her own career renaissance thanks to back-to-back Tony wins in 2017 and 2018 and an Oscar nomination for Lady Bird.
When speaking to ET about her mom’s recent success, Young Sheldon star Zoe Perry said she loves seeing Metcalf “getting the accolades that she deserves,” adding that a lot of the time, “I'm like, ‘Hey, everybody, welcome to the party,’ because I've always known how incredible she was and made so many people laugh.”
While Roseanne was cancelled, ABC ordered The Conners, a new spinoff starring Gilbert, Goodman and Metcalf. The rest of the Roseanne cast, aside from Barr, is expected to return when the show premieres this fall.
The 70th Emmy Awards, co-hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost and Michael Che, will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, Sept. 17, starting at 5 p.m. PT on NBC.
Check out the full list of nominees and follow ET’s ongoing Emmy coverage here.
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