Roseanne Barr's son, Jake Pentland, has claimed that cast members of the sitcom "Roseanne" reboot conspired to have the show taken away from his mother following her controversial 2018 tweets.
Pentland's remarks came in response to statements made by former "Roseanne" actor Michael Fishman, who recently explained on Instagram why he believed the show's revival was "rightfully cancelled" due to Barr's social media activity. Fishman stated that ongoing support for Barr's past comments causes "collateral damage."
While acknowledging that Barr's tweets were wrong, Pentland told TMZ that he believes the backlash disproportionately affected his mother and that cast members "conspired" to remove her from the show. He further alleged that the cast did not seek to understand Barr's intentions or allow her to defend her statements publicly.
The controversy erupted in 2018 when Barr posted a tweet comparing Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President Barack Obama, to an "ape." Barr later claimed she was on Ambien at the time and had mistaken Jarrett for a white person. ABC swiftly canceled the reboot after one season.
In a 2018 interview with Sean Hannity, Barr explained that her tweet was intended to address accountability regarding the Iran deal, which she stated Jarrett authored, and that her focus was political, not racial. She later apologized in a podcast interview, acknowledging that her words had hurt people and admitting her ignorance was inexcusable.
Fishman, who played DJ Conner in both the original "Roseanne" and its reboot, expressed frustration in his Instagram reel with what he described as "ignorant and inaccurate" comments defending Barr's past actions. He asserted that "dehumanizing people is never a joke" and that the show's cancellation was justified.
The "Roseanne" reboot was canceled in 2018. A subsequent series, "The Conners," continued the story with the original cast minus Barr, concluding its run in 2025 after seven seasons.