Roseanne Barr is back in the headlines, swinging hard at ABC for what she calls a glaring double standard in reinstating Jimmy Kimmel after his brief suspension, as NewsNation reports.
Barr, ousted from the network in 2018 over a controversial tweet, is fuming over Kimmel’s quick return to Jimmy Kimmel Live! following his insensitive remarks about the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, while her own high-rated show was axed for good.
Let’s rewind to 2018, when Barr’s rebooted sitcom Roseanne was the most-watched series on ABC -- until it wasn’t. Her career took a nosedive after a tweet comparing former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to a mix of the “Muslim Brotherhood” and a sci-fi flick. The network pulled the plug faster than you can say “cancel culture,” leaving Barr’s legacy in tatters.
Barr didn’t mince words, saying, “I got my whole life ruined, no forgiveness.” She argues her permanent banishment stands in stark contrast to Kimmel’s slap on the wrist for comments deemed “ill-timed and insensitive” by The Walt Disney Company. If that’s not a double standard, what is?
Fast forward to last week, when Kimmel’s late-night show was paused after he quipped that the country had “hit some new lows” in the wake of Kirk’s killing. He accused certain political factions of trying to “score political points” over the tragedy at Utah Valley University, where the 31-year-old Trump ally was debating students. By Tuesday, though, ABC had him back on air, as if nothing had happened.
Kimmel’s remarks included a jab at President Donald Trump, mocking his response to Kirk’s death as akin to a toddler grieving a pet fish. Barr predicts Kimmel won’t even apologize -- he’ll “double down” with his tiny fanbase cheering him on. Isn’t it rich to see who gets a pass in today’s media circus?
Barr isn’t just upset about Kimmel; she’s targeting ABC’s entire playbook, accusing them of protecting “their lowest rated shows” while torching the highest. Her show was a ratings juggernaut before its cancellation, yet here we are with Kimmel, in the final year of his contract, coasting back to his desk. It’s a curious way to handle shareholder value, isn’t it?
She also pointed out the network’s history of light punishments, like Whoopi Goldberg’s two-week suspension for Holocaust-related comments on The View. Meanwhile, Barr’s been “erased from history,” as she puts it, with no mention of her pioneering role in entertainment or feminism. That’s a bitter pill for someone who broke barriers to swallow.
Adding salt to the wound, Barr noted Kimmel once called her out for racism while having his own past controversy of appearing in blackface -- a mistake for which he apologized. The irony isn’t lost on anyone paying attention. How does one get to throw stones from a glass house and still keep the keys to the kingdom?
Let’s unpack Kimmel’s offending segment: he claimed certain Trump-affiliated groups were desperate to paint Kirk’s killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as anything but one of their own, despite known evidence linking him to the political left. Robinson was arrested after a 33-hour manhunt following the attack in Orem, Utah. Kimmel’s attempt at biting commentary fell flat for many, sparking outrage.
Over 400 celebrities even signed an open letter condemning Kimmel’s suspension, arguing that such retaliation against free speech “strikes at the heart” of a free society.
Barr, for her part, feels utterly sidelined, claiming even those whose careers she boosted refuse to acknowledge her now. “I’m never mentioned in anything anymore,” she lamented. It’s a stark reminder of how quickly the entertainment machine can rewrite its own narrative.
On a brighter note for Barr, she gave a shoutout to Nexstar, NewsNation’s parent company, for continuing to preempt Kimmel’s show on the ABC affiliates it owns. “I just love independent media,” she declared, praising their push to decentralize information. In a world of corporate gatekeepers, that’s a breath of fresh air.
So where does this leave us? Barr’s fight with ABC highlights a broader frustration with inconsistent standards in media, where some voices are silenced while others get endless second chances. It’s a debate worth having, especially when ratings and ideology seem to dictate who’s in and who’s out.
Ultimately, Barr’s saga and Kimmel’s quick return underscore a cultural battle over accountability and free expression. As the dust settles, one thing is clear: the court of public opinion is still very much in session, and it’s not handing out equal verdicts. Will the scales ever balance, or is this just the new normal in Tinseltown?
