Roseanne Barr Doesn’t Mince Words About ‘The Conners’ Killing Off Her Character

Roseanne Barr cut right to the core of why she believes The Conners killed off her character, Roseanne Conner, before its premiere. The Roseanne creator and controversial comedian revealed her raw feelings on the decision in a new Los Angeles Times interview. In the premiere of The Conners in 2018, hot on the heels of Barr’s controversial return and exit from the Roseanne revival, the family mourned the death of Barr’s iconic sitcom mother and stick a knife in the comedian’s back.

“When they killed my character off, that was a message to me, knowing that I’m mentally ill or have mental health issues, that they did want me to commit suicide,” Barr said in the interview. “They killed my character, and my character. And all of that was to say thank you for bringing 28 million viewers, which they never had before and will never see again. Because they can kiss my ass.”

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Barr, 70, was fired from Roseanne’s revival after posting a racist tweet regarding Valerie Jarrett, former President Obama advisor, and was on the horizon for months due to other offensive posts. After discussions and agreements were settled, Barr was gone from ABC, her show was sticking around as The Conners, and her TV family had let her go.

“I can’t know what they think or feel,” Barr said while discussing her former castmates and their reaction to her firing. “I don’t know why they did what they did. I’m not like them. I realized that. I can’t believe what they did, with all the pain that I went through to bring the show back. And it didn’t faze them to murder my character, either.”

Barr has lashed out at former co-star Sara Gilbert about a year after her firing. According to Vanity Fair, Barr said Gilbert “destroyed the show and my life” and “She will never get enough until she consumes my liver with a fine Chianti.” Gilbert had tweeted that Barr’s comments on Twitter were “abhorrent,” sparking the response from the comedian.

She has also criticized the deal she signed that allowed The Conners to exist, alleging that ABC didn’t honor their promise upon her exit and her death ensured she could never make an appearance in the future. The Conners has just been renewed for a second season at the time and is currently in the middle of season 5.

The silver lining for Barr is that her current outlook is far more positive than it had been. ABC aside, Barr admits that she is done holding grudges. “I forgive everybody,” Barr added. “I started thinking that God took me out of there to save me. And once I started thinking that way, I was, like, a lot better off.” Roseanne’s new special Roseanne Barr: Cancel This! is now available on FOX Nation.