Herman Cain, a businessman and 2012 Republican presidential candidate, said ABC used actor Roseanne Barr’s tweet about a former Obama adviser being a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and “Planet of the Apes” as an “excuse” to cancel Barr’s sitcom, “Roseanne,” in which she portrayed a supporter of President Trump.
“I understand them using this as an excuse,” Cain said in an interview Tuesday with Fox Business. “Yes, it was racist. Yes, it was distasteful. And she vehemently apologized.”
Cain said despite the apology, “They canceled her anyway.”
ABC Entertainment announced Tuesday that “Roseanne” would be canceled, noting that Barr’s comments were “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values.”
Earlier Barr tweeted that “muslim Brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” a comment that was a reference to former President Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
Barr issued an apology afterwards and said she was “leaving” Twitter.
“I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr said. “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.”
Barr herself is a Trump supporter and cast her ballot for him in the 2016 election. Additionally, she plays a Trump supporter on the “Roseanne” reboot of her 1990s TV sitcom.
