‘The Talk’ Host Sheryl Underwood Weighs in on ‘Roseanne’ Cancellation

On Monday, Sara Gilbert and her co-hosts on The Talk finally tackled the controversial cancellation of Roseanne, and Sheryl Underwood had a lot to say.

The Talk took last week off, playing pre-recorded episodes throughout the week. That meant that the ladies couldn’t hold a round table discussion about Roseanne Barr’s racist tweets, nor the subsequent cancellation of her show. On Monday, they finally got to it, and it was especially emotional since Gilbert, one of the stars and executive producers of Roseanne, sat with them.

One of the biggest reasons the show was cancelled was Barr’s tweet comparing Valerie Jarrett, a former Obama administration official to an ape. Jarrett is an Iranian-American black woman, and the post was understood to be a racist attack. Underwood, who is also a black woman, took particular interest in the ordeal.

“As a black woman who is a comedian, I’m very, very proud of Channing Dungey, who’s the president of ABC Entertainment,” she said. “And as Spike Lee says, a lot of people came together to do the right thing.”

It was Dungey who released a statement announcing that Roseanne was cancelled on Tuesday morning. Dungey is also a black woman, and many on social media noted that it was appropriate for her to be the one to drop the series.

In the course of the discussion, Gilbert chose her words carefully. She echoed her tweet from Tuesday morning, where she condemned Barr’s racist comment. She also said that she felt terrible for all of the people who were suddenly out of a job.

“I am proud of the show we made. The show has always been about diversity, love and inclusion. And it’s sad to see it end that way,” she said. “I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process. However, I stand by the decision ABC made.”

She said nothing about the rampant rumors that she and other Roseanne cast members are in talks with ABC about possible spin-off shows. Gilbert was one of the driving forces behind the Roseanne reboot, gathering the cast members and spearheading the effort as an executive producer. She seemed to make Barr angry by calling her out on Twitter.

“Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least,” she wrote shortly before the cancellation. Barr responded in a tweet several days later.

“To michael fishman and sara gilbert: I forgive u both, love u both, just wish u could have called me personally 2 talk rather than do it in a public arena,” she wrote, though she has sinc deleted the tweet. “I understand, tho. It’s ok.”