Roseanne Barr has blamed sleeping pills for her tweet likening an African-American former Obama aide to an ape.
The comedian said on Twitter her offensive post was a result of “ambien tweeting” – although she has since removed this comment. Ambien is a sedative used as a sleeping aid.
Barr’s tweet said Valerie Jarrett was the child of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Planet of the Apes film.
ABC has cancelled Roseanne’s sitcom in response to the racist tweet.
The television network said: “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show.”
The reboot of her hit sitcom Roseanne has been a ratings winner.
Barr deleted Monday night’s post and said she was leaving Twitter, but has since posted a flurry of tweets including one claiming other comedians “have said worse”.
In another tweet, the TV star said what she did was “unforgiveable” and, while asking fans not to defend her actions, tried to explain away the post as having been caused by the effects of the sedative Ambien.
A spokeswoman for Sanofi, the pharmaceutical company that makes Ambien, said in response to Barr’s tweets about taking the sedative: “While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”
“I apologise to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr wrote following the outcry, defending her remarks as a “joke”.
“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’s initial tweet came in response to another Twitter user, who accused Mrs Jarrett of helping to conceal purported spying during the Obama administration.
Mrs Jarrett was a senior adviser to US President Barack Obama, and worked with him during his early days in Chicago politics.
She was born in Iran to African-American parents.
Source: BBC
