Roseanne Barr Explodes Over Valerie Jarrett Tweet: "I Thought the Bitch Was White!"

"I'm trying to talk about Iran!" the comedian say while puffing on a cigarette

By Zach Johnson Jul 20, 2018 12:05 PMTags

Perhaps it's time to hire a crisis manager.

Roseanne Barr uploaded a YouTube video last night in which she became irate after the interviewer mentioned the tweet in which she compared former White House staffer Valerie Jarrett to an ape—which many people, including Jarrett, perceived as racist. ABC swiftly fired Barr, canceled her eponymous show and announced it will be rebooted as The Connors. Barr, who puffed on a cigarette and rolled her eyes in the interview, was visibly agitated. "I'm trying to talk about Iran!" she said. "I'm trying to talk about Valerie Jarrett wrote the Iran deal!"

"I know," the interviewer said. "You've told me this 300 times."

"That's what my tweet was about!" Barr screamed.

"I know," the interviewer said. "You've explained this literally 300 times."

"I thought the bitch was white!" Barr yelled. "God dammit! I thought the bitch was white! F--k!"

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In the midst of the controversy in May, Barr issued an apology to Jarrett, who is black, saying she "deeply" regretted her Twitter comment. "I am sorry for making a thoughtless joke that does not reflect my values," she said. "I love all people and am very sorry." Acknowledging that her words had "caused hundreds of hardworking people to lose their jobs," she told her fans, "I apologize from the bottom of my heart and hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me." However, Barr went on to retweet messages from supporters who defended her original tweet.

Earlier this month, Barr tweeted she would be doing a "TV interview" to tell her side of the story. Days later, she apparently had a change of heart, tweeting she found the idea "too stressful" and was "distrustful" of the media. Barr promised to film the interview herself and upload it on YouTube, giving fans "the entire explanation of what happened" in the maelstrom. She added that people "keep warning me against making my own content because 'these are dangerous times.' No s--t! An artist can be misinterpreted and be destroyed forever despite a lifetime fighting bigotry. I'd like to speak directly to you, the people, and cut out any middlemen who use for clickbait/ad revenue while seeking to divide rather than unite." She also asked fans to submit questions via e-mail, promising to answer them "next week" on her YouTube channel.

Barr has not announced when—or if—she will upload the full interview on YouTube.

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