Jimmy Kimmel Calls for Compassion Amid Roseanne Barr Scandal: ‘She Is Obviously Not Well’

Jimmy Kimmel offered words of support for Roseanne Barr following the serious backlash she received after Roseanne was canceled due to her racist tweets.

ABC canceled the hit comedy series after Barr went on a racist Twitter rant, where made offensive comments toward Valerie Jarrett.

Kimmel, who made several jokes on the subject on his Tuesday night episode, took to Twitter Wednesday to ask for compassion for Barr, saying she is “obviously not well”.

“What @TheRealRoseanne said is indefensible, but angrily attacking a woman who is obviously not well does no good for anyone,” Kimmel tweeted, as first reported by The Wrap. “Please take a breath and remember that mental health issues are real. The Roseanne I know could probably use some compassion and help right now.”

Barr’s Roseanne revival, which had previously been renewed for a second season, was canceled by ABC on Tuesday after Barr insulted former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, suggesting that Jarrett is a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.

On Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the late night host addressed the news of the canceled series, and also suggested a way for the series to carry on without Barr herself.

“Hear me out, just because Roseanne is gone, it doesn’t mean the whole show has to go. The show must go on! That’s what we say in show business. And with that said, I have an idea that I think makes this work for everyone,” Kimmel said.

The show then aired a fake trailer for a Roseanne spinoff centered on Dan (John Goodman).

“We don’t have much on this network. We’re hoping the NBA finals goes 11 games this year,” Kimmel joked. “We’re still airing America’s Funniest Home Videos. Roseanne was very ‘bigly’ hit for ABC, and we needed it.”

Goodman recently broke his silence on the scandal, revealing he has been keeping himself away from reading the headlines and speaking out to avoid causing more trouble.

However, he did reveal he’s doing fine after the news of the cancellation. Sara Gilbert, Michael Fishman, Emma Kenney and Lecy Goranson also spoke out on the scandal, denouncing Barr’s words.

Metcalf has not spoken publicly on the controversy so far.

There has been speculation that Fox could pick up the show, but the network has not commented on that possibility at this time.

While Barr has had her supporters throughout the backlash — after tweeting out a racist comment about a former aide to Barack Obama — the question Fox, or any network or streaming service has to ask is, “Would there be enough viewers left?”

Even with Barr having issued an apology for her comment, it’s unlikely that the series could continue on another network and still hit the same level of ratings that it was at before her comment, as the outcry against her has been quite significant.