President Trump’s reboot sitcom ally Roseanne Barr apologized on Tuesday for a tweet she posted making racist comments about Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to President Obama.
“I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks,” she tweeted. “I should have known better.”
I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. 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.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
Barr’s tweet about Jarrett’s “looks” was shared in response to an article posted by SGT Report, that claimed Obama used his CIA to spy on the French president during his tenure. SGT Report claims it is a “corporate propaganda antidote.”
Barr tweeted in response to a thread of comments about the article saying: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” a clear attack on Jarrett’s race as an African-American. The tweet was flagged by attorney and AMERICAblog founder John Aravosis.
Roseanne is apparently referring to top Obama White House aide Valerie Jarrett, who is African-American. https://t.co/LjpXzotFsA pic.twitter.com/W1sTA1Yuu4
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) May 29, 2018
During the Obama administration, the far-right seized on Jarrett’s background — her parents were living in Iran when she was born and her family moved back to the U.S. when she was 5 — to fuel conspiracies about her having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Jarrett is not Muslim.
It’s not the first time — even over the weekend — that Barr used her Twitter feed to peddle conspiracy theories. On Monday evening, Barr tweeted suggesting that Chelsea Clinton was married to a nephew of George Soros and then declared hours later that she was “now leaving Twitter.”
I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 29, 2018
Barr has reemerged into the spotlight in recent months after her ABC show “Roseanne” got a reboot, with a plot primarily focused on Barr’s political support of Trump, which earned her a tweet of thanks from the President.