That ongoing controversy you've been hearing so much about isn't just about Roseanne Barr. Or racism, or media liberals like Joy Reid and Samantha Bee being held to different standards. It's really about relatability—relatability and the American electorate. I'm sure Roseanne Barr wishes she'd never hit the button that sent her tweet comparing former Obama White House aide Valerie Jarrett to a character from Planet of the Apes into cyberspace. But she's been at the center of controversy before and, if she comes through this one she'll most surely be at the center of controversy again. It's what she does. Before getting too far into things, it's important to note she's not a conservative. When she ran for president it was with Cindy Sheehan, the Iraq War Gold Star mother who made it a point to be a thorn in the side of George W. Bush at every turn as her running mate. Roseanne's original show, which was an early adopter of a same sex couple as recurring characters, pushed the cultural envelope leftward. For all her antics, including her bizarre performance of the National Anthem at a baseball game, ABC stood by her. They're not standing by her anymore, even though the reboot of her eponymous sitcom scored monster ratings for its initial episode. Bringing the Conner family of Lankford, Illinois back into America's households looked, even as the ratings came down out of the stratosphere, like a major coup for the network. The suits who came up with the idea probably enjoyed wonderful daydreams about how they were going to spend their bonuses. Then the roof fell in. You have to be an idiot (or under the influence of something, as Roseanne subsequently claimed she was) not to have realized her comparison was unacceptable. It may have been at one time, just as it was once acceptable for whites to perform in blackface, but those days are thankfully long past. Ms. Barr is paying the price for her offensiveness as the bitch gods who lord over Hollywood are making her a non-person, not just by cancelling the reboot at the cost of tens of millions of dollars but by pulling the reruns of the original series off the air. All that, though, could have been fixed if the people behind it all had wanted it to be. Samantha Bee still has a show despite what she said about Ivanka Trump, using language that was well over the top even for basic cable. Her apology, unlike Roseanne's, was enough—leading some to complain once again that Hollywood has a double standard when it comes to the errors, insults, and faux pas of liberals and conservatives. It does, but that too is not what this is about. Joy Behar is still on The View (which also airs on the suddenly culturally sensitive ABC) despite what she said about Christians, and Joy Reid is still on MSNBC despite what she wrote and tweeted and blogged about a whole bunch of people. Hollywood and the news networks are, for the most part, left-of-center entities with values at odds with those of mainstream America—a demographic ably represented by Dan and Roseanne Conner and not by the actors who portray them. The real issue here is not Roseanne Barr so much as it is Roseanne Conner, a likeable and for the most part relatable character with whom a lot of people in America can identify. She has trouble paying her bills and making ends meet just like many of the rest of us. Her kids have had trouble adjusting to life in the real world, one of them has moved home with her own children, and the responsibilities of caring for an aging parent only adds to the stress of daily life. We can all relate, in some fashion or another, which is where the trouble lies for the folks preaching all out resistance to Donald Trump. Roseanne Conner voted for Trump. Her husband Dan might have too—though that never came up in the reboot. "He talked about jobs," she explained to her sister (a pink hat wearing member of the resistance) in the premiere episode. The Conners believe the American Dream has left them behind. She voted for Trump, perhaps out of desperation, but in any event that sends a signal to the great mass of humanity we call the American electorate that maybe it was okay to do so because, as I said, she's relatable. That makes her dangerous (again, we're still talking about the character on television, not the real person). Her sympathetic attitude towards Trump runs counter to the memes, many of which may have been crafted sub rosa by the image masters who populate Hollywood, that he's a sexist, homophobic, bigoted, fount of all evil demagogue who must be resisted at every turn. Having Roseanne Conner—the lead character in a monster hit watched by tens of millions of Americans—say nice things about him, and profess a liking for him because she approves of the things he said he'd do while campaigning, undoes a lot of hard work and money that's gone into branding him the anti-Christ. Likability can be transferable. Hollywood found that out when people started to like Archie Bunker, something Norman Lear didn't intend to happen when he created the socially conscious sitcom that made the character a household name. Fool me once, as they say. The Trump haters understood that Roseanne Conner had to go. They just had to wait for Roseanne Barr to give them a reason. Peter Roff is a former contributing editor to U.S. News and World Report and former senior writer for United Press International. He can be reached by email at RoffColumns@gmail.com. The views expressed in this article are the author's own.​​​​<doc-sep>“Roseanne” star Sara Gilbert has spoken out about the show’s cancellation for the first time since the news broke last week, saying she supports ABC’s decision. “I would like to say this has been a very difficult week,” she said on “The Talk” during its first live episode Monday following a week of pre-taped episodes. “A lot of people have been hurt by this. I will say I’m proud of the show we made. This show has always been about diversity, love and inclusion. And it’s sad to see it end in this way. I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process. However, I do stand behind the decision ABC made.” The “Roseanne” reboot was abruptly canceled on Tuesday after its titular star and creator, Roseanne Barr, went on a racist and anti-Semitic Twitter rant, including comparing former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape. Gilbert, who plays Roseanne’s daughter Darlene on the show and was instrumental in bringing about the reboot, took to Twitter to release a statement following Barr’s tweets. “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. She added in a second tweet, “This is incredibly sad and difficult for all of us, as we’ve created a show that we believe in, are proud of, and that audiences love — one that is separate and apart from the opinions and words of one cast member.”<doc-sep>There is some cautious optimism that Roseanne, cancelled by ABC on Monday, could continue without co-creator and star Roseanne Barr. I hear the show’s producers will be meeting with Disney-ABC executives on Monday to pitch a revamped Roseanne without the title star (and likely the original title too). Primetime-Panic Your Complete Guide to Pilots and Straight-to-Series orders See All Details about the concept that will be pitched are unclear but the show is expected to stay true to the praised first season of the revival — the series’ 11th overall — featuring the other cast members except Barr. There could be stronger emphasis on Sara Gilbert’s character Darlene, which can be expected since the revival was centered mainly on three characters, Roseanne (Barr), Dan (John Goodman) and their daughter Darlene (Gilbert) who moved back home with her kids. As we previously reported, executive producers Tom Werner, who also executive produced the original series, and Gilbert, the main driving force behind the revival, are believed to be spearheading the efforts to continue the show and keep the writers, led by executive producer/showrunner Bruce Helford, and crew employed post-cancellation. Overall, prospects for Roseanne 2.0 look a little brighter today than they did immediately after the show’s sudden cancellation. Still, sources close to the situation caution that there are major hurdles to overcome. While independent production company Carsey-Werner owns and produces Roseanne, there are legal and rights issues that need to be settled as Barr was co-creator and executive producer on the series and has ownership/backend. Warner Bros. TV’s decision to fire Two and a Half Men star Charlie Sheen and continue the show without him resulted in him filing a $100 million lawsuit against the studio, eventually settled for $25 million that WBTV paid him to cover his backend. Barr already attacked two of her Roseanne cast members, Michael Fishman and Gilbert, who had condemned her Valerie Jarrett tweets, before announcing that she forgives them. She also has indicated in her relentless tweeting over the past few days that she is ready to fight back. It is unclear whether that would involve litigation but she may mount a legal challenge should a Roseanne spinoff without her goes forward. Roseanne co-stars Laurie Metcalf, Lecy Goranson, Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara and Jayden Rey.<doc-sep>
“Everyone is upset for the cast and the crew, but there was always a feeling that something was going to happen," a source tells PEOPLE Roseanne Cancellation: 'There Was Always a Feeling Something Was Going to Happen,' Says ABC Source As ABC considers the possibility of a Roseanne reboot, the cast is still reeling over the series’ cancellation this week. “The cast all loved each other. It was a really happy family on set and everyone was so excited to be working together again after all those years, including Roseanne,” an insider tells PEOPLE about the sitcom, which was canceled on Tuesday after its star and creator, Roseanne Barr, posted a racist tweet about former Barack Obama senior adviser, Valerie Jarrett. “So for this to happen is all the more upsetting,” the insider adds. A source at ABC calls the situation “really unfortunate” as the revival was the network’s “biggest hit.” “Everyone is upset for the cast and the crew, but there was always a feeling that something was going to happen. There was always a heightened awareness with her and we were always on edge about her going off track,” says the source. The ABC source adds, “But you just hold your breath until it does. Did we think she would say something like that? No. But then it all fell apart.” Barr, 65, prompted the cancellation of her show earlier this week when she likened Jarrett to an “ape” in a since-deleted tweet. She has since claimed that she didn’t know Jarrett is black — and that she was on Ambien while tweeting. The star apologized to the “wonderful writers (all liberal) and talented actors who lost their jobs on my show due to my stupid tweet,” and she also expressed her regret over two costars in particular: John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf. “I just wish ABC had not thrown two of the greatest actors in the world out with me — Laurie and John,” Barr tweeted Wednesday night. “I’m so sick over this — they will never have better character actors on their network.” Although Roseanne won’t be returning to airwaves, a possible spinoff could be on the horizon. A source close to the project confirms to PEOPLE that there are discussions underway about a potential reboot revolving more around Sara Gilbert’s character, Darlene Conner. “Talks are underway, but it’s too preliminary to know if it’s going to gel or not,” says the source. Want to keep up on the latest from PEOPLE? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get our best stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox. Days after the network scrapped the show, Barr tweeted Thursday that she “begged Ben Sherwood at ABC 2 let me apologize & make amends,” referencing the Disney/ABC Television Group president. “I begged them not to cancel the show. I told them I was willing to do anything & asked 4 help in making things right,” she continued. “I’d worked doing publicity4 them 4free for weeks, traveling, thru bronchitis. I begged4 ppls jobs.”