The 65-year-old actress struggled to keep her composure while explaining recent fallout.
Roseanne Barr broke down in tears during a podcast interview posted on Saturday, as she apologized for her racist tweet that resulted in the cancellation of her hit television show, Roseanne.
Calling in to Rabbi Shmuley Boteach's podcast, the 65-year-old comedian reflected on her Jewish values and expressed deep remorse over her damaging social media post regarding former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
“God, it’s really hard to say all of this,” Barr started.. “I didn’t mean what they think I meant, and that’s what’s so painful. But I have to face that this hurt people -- and when you hurt people, even unwittingly, there’s no excuse, so I don’t want to blabber off on excuses. I apologize to anyone who felt offended and thought that I meant something that I, in fact, did not mean to my own ignorance.”
The former Roseanne star stated that she definitely feels "remorse" for her post that likened Jarrett to a child of “Muslim brotherhood” and “Planet of the Apes,” before audibly breaking down in tears. She also said she didn't know Jarrett was a black woman.
“I’m a lot of things. I’m a loudmouth and all that stuff, but I’m not stupid, for God’s sake," she stressed. "I never would have wittingly called any black person… say they are a monkey. I never would do that! And I didn’t do that."
Barr continued, “And if people think that I did that, it just kills me. I didn’t do that, although they think I did. And if they do think that, I am so sorry that I... you know, it was so unclear and stupid. I’m very sorry but I don’t think that, I never would do that. I have loved ones who are African-American. I just can't stand it. I've made a huge error.”
The Emmy winner added that her actions have made herself "a hate magnet."
"I have to say what was in my mind and what I meant from what I did. I can't let other people define me and project their stuff onto me. Now they're just changing the words of what I said totally, it's so painful," she told Boteach. "I have black children in my family. I can't let 'em say these things about me after 30 years of my putting my family and my health and my livelihood at risk to stand up for people."
Barr revealed once again that the upsetting tweet was posted in the early hour of 2 a.m. while she was on Ambien, admitting that while it's "no excuse," she was indeed “impaired.”
The host then asked Barr if she still regrets her actions, to which she didn't hesitate.
“Of course, no, I don’t excuse it," she replied. "I horribly regret it, are you kidding? I’ve lost everything. And I regretted it before I lost everything, and I said to God, ‘I am willing to accept whatever consequences this brings because I know I’ve done wrong.’ I’m willing to accept what the consequences are. And, I do. And I have.”
Barr's apology comes a few weeks after she was fired by ABC on May 29, resulting in the immediate cancellation of her successful '90s sitcom reboot, which premiered in March to record ratings. The network later announced a spinoff dubbed The Conners, starring the remainder of the original cast, set to hit this fall.
RELATED CONTENT:
