Ambien Breaks Silence Amid ‘Roseanne’ Cancellation

After Roseanne Barr blamed Ambien for her racially insensitive tweet, Ambien-maker Sanofi is weighing in.

Sanofi, the maker of Ambien, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Roseanne Barr and her claims that the sleeping pills resulted in her Twitter statement that suggested Valerie Jarrette was the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.

“People of all races, religions and nationalities work at Sanofi every day to improve the lives of people around the world,” the Sanofi Twitter account tweeted in response to Barr’s claims. “While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”

Barr faced swift backlash Tuesday after she tweeted in the early morning hours “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=[Valerie Jarrett].”

The tweet, which was later deleted, was followed by Barr stating, “I apologize. I am now leaving Twitter,” and “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.”

The damage had already been done, though, with several of her co-stars tweeting their reactions to her racially insensitive statements. Wanda Sykes, who acted as consulting producer on Roseanne, quickly announced her resignation from the show. Shortly after that, President of ABC Entertainment announced that the series, which had already been renewed following its premiere episode, would not be returning for a second season.

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” Channing Dungey said in a statement.

Barr returned to Twitter Tuesday night to tweet a second apology and offer an explanation for her statements.

“Guys did something unforgiveable so do not defend me. It was 2 in the morning and I was Ambien tweeting. It was Memorial Day too. I went too far and do not want it defended. It was egregious [and] indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but…don’t defend it please,” she wrote in a now deleted tweet.

Along with the cancellation of the revival sitcom, ABC has also suspended the sitcom’s 2018 Emmy campaign and has dropped the series from its press website. Barr has also faced repercussions from her talent agency, ICM Partners, who announced Tuesday afternoon that they were dropping the comedian.