Roseanne Barr axed over racist Twitter row

US TV network ABC has announced it has cancelled Roseanne Barr’s sitcom ‘Roseanne’ after the comedian posted a racist tweet on Twitter.

Barr came under fire on social media after she compared former US president Barack Obama’s White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape on Twitter and linked her to the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj,” tweeted Barr. The tweet has since been deleted, and Barr has apologised to Jarrett for what she has called a bad joke.

“I apologise to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans,” Barr tweeted. “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.”

However, the comedian was subject to a barrage of criticism in the wake of the tweet, with celebrities such as Morgan Freeman and fellow ‘Roseanne’ co-star Sara Gilbert weighing in.

The first season of the newly revived ‘Roseanne’ had premiered to huge ratings, and preproduction was under way on the second season when ABC decided to pull the plug.

“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey said in a statement.

Barr’s talent agency, ICM Partners, has dropped the comedian as a client.

“What she wrote is antithetical to our core values, both as individuals and as an agency,” the agency said in a statement. “Consequently, we have notified her that we will not represent her. Effective immediately, Roseanne Barr is no longer a client.”