Roseanne Barr has been reaching out personally to former cast and crew members of 'Roseanne' to apologize, a source tells ET.
Roseanne Barr has been reaching out personally to former cast and crew members of Roseanne to apologize, a source tells ET.
ABC announced Roseanne was canceled last month, after Barr posted a racist tweet towards Barack Obama's former White House adviser, Valerie Jarrett. Barr later apologized, and blamed the remark on tweeting under the influence of prescription sleep aid Ambien.
A source close to production tells ET that since the shocking cancellation of the highly rated show, Barr has been making calls to cast and some crew members in an effort to “try and make things right.” The source says on at least one occasion, Barr has “broken down” during the call, and that cast and crew have listened to her apologies.
The source says that, in particular, Barr has told them she is mortified to think that actress Jayden Rey, the child actor who played her granddaughter, Mary, on the show, thinks she doesn’t love her because of the color of her skin. The source notes that there remains a lot of confusion by those who know Barr, because the racist behavior exhibited by her on Twitter is not the woman they knew.
Meanwhile, when it comes to reports that a new version of Roseanne without the controversial comedian is a possibility, another source tells ET that the creative team and producers are still discussing it and should know something soon. According to the source, if a new version should be ordered, ABC will not compensate Barr in any way and she would not benefit from it.
As to which characters would be the focus of a spinoff, there are different ideas, but the main goal is that most everyone would come back aside from Barr, the source notes, adding that the hope is that there will be a positive outcome to the discussions about the revised version.
Earlier this month, a source with knowledge of the situation told ET that ABC and Roseanne show producers were deep in conversations for a possible reboot and that while it’s unclear when an announcement will be made, the behind-the-scenes discussions were "moving swiftly.”
Meanwhile, on June 5, Barr tweeted that she's "making restitution for the pain" she's caused. Last month, she also tweeted another apology and said she forgives former Roseanne co-stars Sara Gilbert and Michael Fishman, after they spoke out against her original racist tweet directed at Jarrett reading, "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj." Jarrett is black and was born in Iran.
"Please don't compare me2 other people who have said horrible things," Barr, 65, tweeted. "I only care about apologizing 4 the hurt I have unwittingly & stupidly caused. I humbly confess contrition & remorse. I failed2 correctly express myself, & caused pain2 ppl."
"To michael fishman and sara gilbert: I forgive u both, love u both, just wish u could have called me personally 2 talk rather than do it in a public arena," she continued in another tweet. "I understand, tho. It's ok."
For more on the fallout since Barr's racist tweet, watch the video below:
-- Reporting by Claudia Cagan
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