Roseanne Barr made her long-awaited comeback to the comedy world with the release of her new Fox Nation special, Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!, on February 13, 2023. The special was teased during the January 2023 NFC Championship Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers.
Barr’s one-hour stand-up special, filmed in front of an audience at the Cullen Theatre in Houston, Texas, marks nearly two decades since her last show. She uses her unique comedic style to tackle a range of topics, such as her Jewish upbringing in the Mormon city of Salt Lake City, her move to Texas, and her family’s wealth.
Before jumping into details about her latest stand-up show, let’s get to know the 70-year-old comedian.
Who is Roseanne Bar?
American comedian and actress Roseanne Barr is widely recognized for her hit television series Roseanne. She was honored with the Emmy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress in recognition of her performance. In 1980, she started her career as a stand-up comedian while still living as a full-time mom and wife. Drawing on her experiences, she coined the phrase “domestic goddess” to describe homemakers.
In 1985, Barr’s successful stand-up comedy bit on The Tonight Show catapulted her into the spotlight. This resulted in a highly acclaimed HBO special called The Roseanne Show, which earned her an American Comedy Award for Best Female Performer. Her meteoric rise in the comedy world drew the attention of TV producers, and Barr was signed on to headline her own ABC show, titled Roseanne.
From 1988 to 1997, this hit sitcom caused a stir with viewers, becoming one of the first TV shows to realistically portray an average, working-class family and their everyday activities. Not only was it applauded for this, but also for casting relatively unknown and natural-looking actors in the lead roles such as Roseanne Barr and John Goodman in the parts of a married couple.
Although her career was seeing a resurgence with the revival of the show, a Twitter controversy in 2018 caused Barr to be ostracized by the entertainment industry, thus resulting in her onscreen work taking a backseat.
Why was Roseanne Barr canceled?
In May 2018, due to a tweet with offensive racial undertones, Barr was removed from the cast of the revival of the series Roseanne. This caused a huge backlash and media attention, resulting in the cancellation of the show. Nevertheless, a spin-off was quickly created, centering around Sara Gilbert’s character Darlene, known as The Connors.
The racist tweet characterized Valerie Jarrett, former President Barack Obama’s adviser, as an offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood” and the “Planet of the Apes.”
After receiving severe backlash for her hateful tweet, the comedian made a statement declaring that she had apologized to Jarett.
“I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.”
Despite enduring difficult times, Barr continued on with her life, seeming to be satisfied in her large home in Honokaa, Hawaii, where she lived with her long-term partner and welcomed her many grandchildren. Finally, in February 2023, she spoke to the Los Angeles Times about her experiences during that period, including the anguish she suffered, both physically and emotionally.
Roseanne Barr’s Comeback
Barr confessed that she is more content in life now. She is convinced that her strength will help her to surmount any difficulties, no matter if that means being betrayed.
In an interview with Fox News on February 2023, Roseanne Barr discussed her comeback to stand-up comedy and the difficulties she faced along the way. She revealed that Gilbert had advised her to ignore the critics, but she was determined not to let it go. Barr also shared her experience of having a “nervous breakdown” after her show got canceled and her journey of regaining her confidence.
At the beginning of her stand-up comedy show, Roseanne Barr declared that she would be offending as many people as possible.
“We’re going to be even more offensive than we’ve ever been before.”
She continued,
“You’ve got to be so offensive to offend the most offensive thing that is on earth right now. And I think I’ve done it.”
