Tim Allen Addresses ‘Roseanne’ Cancellation

Tim Allen has addressed the cancellation of Roseanne Barr’s TV series revival, saying, “that’s not the Rosie I know.”

Entertainment Tonight reports that Allen was asked about the controversy at the Television Critics Association’s press tour panel on Thursday, and he did not hold back his thoughts.

“I go way back with Rosie and that’s not the Rosie I know,” Allen said. “She was the most diverse and tolerant woman I’ve ever known for a long time. Whatever got in her head isn’t the Roseanne I know.”

“It’s a very icy time. I’ve been a comedian for 38 years and I’ve never seen it, like Lenny Bruce said at the Purple Onion, ‘We’ve gone backwards.’ There are things you can’t say. There are things you shouldn’t say,” Allen continued. “Who makes up these rules? And as a stand-up comic, it’s a dangerous position to be in because I like pushing buttons. It’s unfortunate.”

Earlier this summer, the Roseanne revival was cancelled after Barr tweeted out an insult to an African-American woman comparing her to “Planet if the Apes.” Shortly thereafter, ABC announced that it had severed ties with the show.

Regarding the network’s choice to end the show, Allen simply said “they had to do what they had to do and it’s their decision.”

Barr was not the only topic of conversation, though, as Allen was in attendance at the TCA event to promote the upcoming seventh season of his sitcom Last Man Standing.

Coincidentally, his show was also cancelled by ABC — back in 2017 — but for entirely different reasons. The network cited a lack of appropriate placement for the series, but Allen has suggested in the past that he believes it was due to his conservative politics.

However, during the TCA panel, Allen made a different assessment of the cancellation. “I’ve worked for ABC for years,” he said. “I don’t really believe it was a political decision. I think it was a financial decision.” He then added that, even though he has this perspective now, he still “thought it was done very poorly.”

The actor addressed questions about the politics of his character — Mike Baxter — on the show, specifically whether or not Mike would be a Donald Trump supporter.

“It’s a legitimate question,” Allen stated. “I think the guy is a centrist … he’s probably pro-Trump. He probably doesn’t defend him. He’s for whatever is good for his business and for the state of Colorado. I’m not the character I play. Keanu Reeves didn’t actually murder 100 people in John Wick. What’s interesting to me is pissing people off.”

Last Man Standing season seven will debut on Fox on Sept. 28.