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Roseanne Barr Blames Anti-Semitism for Her Firing from Hit ABC Series

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Actress and comedienne Roseanne Barr has said that anti-Semitism was at the core of why she as fried by ABC from her hits series reboot “Roseanne” last year. Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Barr added that she was singled out for dismissal because she was Jewish and because she is a stalwart supporter of Israel.

USA Today reported that in an interview published Friday in the Jerusalem-based English-language newspaper ahead of her visit to address Israel’s Knesset, Barr elaborated on the real reasons she believes she was terminated by ABC after her reboot of “Roseanne” had earned excellent ratings from audiences throughout the country.

“I feel that what happened to me, a large part of it is anti-Semitism,” Barr told the Post in a phone interview on Thursday from her home in Hawaii. “I think it played a part – the fact that I was never allowed to explain what I meant – and what I meant was a commentary on Iran – so they purposely mischaracterized what I said and wouldn’t let me explain.”

She said ABC rushed to judgment and did something “unprecedented that they’ve never done to any other artist” because she is “the most vocal person about Israel and against BDS.” (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that seeks to economically, politically, academically and culturally isolate Israel)

USA Today reported that Barr has blamed anti-Semitism before for her firing in a series of tweets she sent out in June 2018. At the time she had tweeted that  “Planet of the Apes” was about anti-Semitism.

The network reacted within hours, saying that Barr’s tweet which was interpreted as a racist statement about former President Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett was “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”

The rebooted ABC version of “Roseanne” is now called “The Connors” and the entire cast appears in the show, except Roseanne.

Barr apologized repeatedly but her words of contrition fell on deaf ears at the network that had prospered tremendously from the show. Some of her cast members also condemned Roseanne at the time of her tweet even though their careers hinged on her revitalizing the show and giving them visibility as actors.

“What I said was mischaracterized purposely and repeatedly, so they didn’t even know what I meant, but they wanted to shape it and they did – they said it was something racial, when it was actually something political,” she told The Post. “And I have never in my life done anything racist, and I think my career proves that. And they did it so quickly – to fire and label and slander my name. I think it had a lot to do with identifying with Israel.”

Barr will be traveling to Israel with her friend and mentor, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, and is scheduled to address  the Knesset on January 31st. Barr said she will be discussing her firing in her Knesset speech, as well as her ties to Israel, her experiences with anti-Semitism in America, and her opposition to the BDS movement.

In her interview with the JPost, Barr said that she had returned to her authentic Jewish heritage and was learning Torah and other Jewish texts on a regular basis with Rabbi Boteach.

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