Roseanne Barr has theorized that some of her detractors on Twitter are “Russian bots” after she stirred up a political controversy on Friday.
Barr made waves on Twitter after tweeting that President Trump had “freed so many children held in bondage to pimps all over the world. Hundreds each month,” she continued. “He has broken up trafficking rings in high places everywhere. notice that. I disagree on some things, but give him benefit of doubt-4 now.”
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Many journalists and other users on Twitter began questioning the source and legitimacy for this claim, ultimately discovering that it was based on a combination of conspiracy theories and a few factual reports.
The backlash to her tweet led Barr into a tirade about online bullying and persecution of diverse opinions, not unlike posts she has made in the past. It ended at around 1:35 a.m., when she wrote: “I thought today was a good day to talk about freeing kids from sex slavery, since it is Passover. I didn’t realize that so many were not aware of it. Anyway, no more opinions from me on twitter, it invites bullying. Moving on.”
However, Barr came back into the conversation on Saturday morning, joining in on a thread with her fans who were still discussing the controversy.
“There are few “woke” celebrities willing to take a stand for important issues,” wrote an independent journalist. “It makes me laugh that liberal celebs like Ashton Kutcher can talk about trafficking, but they’ve attacked [Roseanne Barr] because she points out what good Trump is doing.”
1. There are few “woke” celebrities willing to take a stand for important issues. It makes me laugh that liberal celebs like Ashton Kutcher can talk about trafficking but they’ve attacked @therealroseanne because she points out what good Trump is doing.
— Tracybeanz (@tracybeanz) March 31, 2018
“Those harassing Roseanne are trying to empower the weak by bringing down the strong,” replied another follower. “They only feel alive when they’re killing something else. They’re bad people with zero empathy. Block them for your own peace.”
Those harassing Roseanne are trying to empower the weak by bringing down the strong. They only feel alive when they’re killing something else. They’re bad people with zero empathy. Block them for your own peace.
— Kathy Soltani (@KathySoltani) March 31, 2018
Barr answered at 9:44 a.m., writing simply “i think they [are] Russian bots”.
i think they r russian bots
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) March 31, 2018
Many perceived the claim as a joke, while others seemed to seriously consider it as a possibility.
Barr has been in the headlines all week, since the revival of her hit sitcom Roseanne premiered on Tuesday. She made the inter-familial struggle with partisan politics a huge plot point in the first episode of the new season, and the show saw enormous ratings especially amongst Trump supporters. Since then, her show and online persona have become a linchpin for conservatives and Trump supporters, who feel legitimized by the representation in Hollywood.
Barr has a long history of stirring up heated conversations on Twitter, a reputation that almost rivals that of the president. Back in December, she deleted her entire Twitter history of almost seven years after a fiery diatribe against the opponents of the president.
