>> Laura: ABC CANCELED THE HIT
SITCOM "ROSEANNE" TODAY AFTER A
SERIES OF BIZARRE TWEETS FROM
THE SHOW’S START EARLIER THIS
MORNING.
THEY INCLUDED A RACIST REMARK
ABOUT VALERIE JARRETT, TOP
ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT OBAMA.
SHE APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY AFTER
SHE WAS SEVERELY CRITICIZED BUT
THAT WASN’T ENOUGH TO SAVE HER
SHOW.
VALERIE JARRETT RESPONDED ON NBC
TONIGHT.
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO TURN IT
INTO A TEACHING MOMENT.
I’M FINE.
I’M WORRIED ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE
OUT THERE WHO DON’T HAVE A
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AND FOLLOWERS
WILL COME RIGHT TO THEIR
DEFENSE.
THE PERSON WHO WAS WALKING DOWN
THE STREET WHO’S MINDING THEIR
OWN BUSINESS AND THEY SEE
SOMEBODY CLING TO THEIR PURSE
BUT WANT TO CROSS THE STREET.
>> Laura: WE ARE JOINED BY
ALVEDA KING, FORMER MEMBER OF
THE GEORGIA HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES.
THE NIECE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING.
I WENT TO START WITH YOU BECAUSE
THIS WAS A BREAKNECK SPEED
CANCELLATION OF THE MOST POPULAR
NETWORK TELEVISION SHOW OF THE
SEASON.
A HUGE SMASH HIT.
SHE APOLOGIZED, BUT THE COMMENTS
IN THE EYES OF A LOT OF PEOPLE
WERE PRETTY INEXCUSABLE TO SAY
THE LEAST.
>> YOU KNOW, THIS ACTUALLY IS A
TEACHABLE MOMENT.
I’M 67 YEARS OLD AND I DO USE
SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT I TRY TO STOP
AND MAY BE PRAY OR THINK OR
CONSIDER WHAT I’M ABOUT TO TWEET
OR PUT ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM
OR LINKEDIN OR ANY OF THOSE
BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL HEAR THAT OR
SEE THAT OR READ THAT AND AS YOU
SAY, ROSEANNE’S REMARKS MOVE
LIKE LIGHTNING.
THEY JUST MOVE EVERYWHERE AND
THEN ABC RESPONDED AND I BELIEVE
APPROPRIATELY.
SAYING WE JUST HAVE TO STOP THE
SHOW.
THERE HAS TO BE A MESSAGE THAT
THIS IS NOT WHAT WE ARE ABOUT.
I BELIEVE THAT IT IS A TEACHABLE
MOMENT.
UNFORTUNATELY FOR ROSEANNE
HERSELF.
>> Laura: I HAVE A QUESTION
ABOUT THIS.
THERE SEEMS TO BE NO POSSIBILITY
OF REDEMPTION IN CERTAIN CASES.
YOU HAVE REDEMPTION FOR JOY
BEHAR.
LET’S REMIND EVERYONE WHAT SHE
SAID NOT SO LONG AGO.
>> IT’S ONE THING TO TALK TO
JESUS.
IT’S ANOTHER THING WHEN JESUS
TALKS TO YOU.
>> EXACTLY!
THAT’S DIFFERENT!
>> THAT’S CALLED MENTAL ILLNESS
IF I’M NOT CORRECT.
>> Laura: ANDREA MITCHELL
POSED THIS VERY ODD QUESTION
TODAY, LET’S WATCH.
>> WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO ON SOCIAL
MEDIA TO GET FIRED FROM A TOP
RATED SHOW ON AN AMERICAN
BROADCAST NETWORK?
>> Laura: GIVEN HER PASSED
COMMENTS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALS IT
WAS KIND OF IRONIC.
>> A LOT OF COMMENTATORS AND
COMEDIANS HAVE SURVIVED THESE
OFFENSIVE COMMENTS WHEN THEY
HAVE APOLOGIZED.
DIFFERENT ONE ROSEANNE BART
TOUCHED RACE.
IF THIS WAS A SPECTACULAR SELF
IMMOLATION.
A NANOSECOND ABC PULLING THE
PLUG.
IT COST ABC A LOT OF MONEY BY
THE WAY.
ROSEANNE SAID SHE WAS ON TOP OF
THE WORLD AND CONTINUE TO SPEW
ANGER.
>> Laura: YOU SEE THE DOUBLE
STANDARD.
CHRISTIANS ARE MOCKED AND
RIDICULED, AND ENTIRE CLASSES
PEOPLE RIDICULED.
SOMEONE IS WAS AN APOLOGY, MAYBE
MAKES A PHONE CALL AND CAREER
PRESERVED.
>> IN AMERICA RIGHT NOW THE
ISSUE OF RACE HAS REACHED A
FEVER PITCH BOILING POINTS.
IF WE HAVE GOTTEN THE MESSAGE
YET FROM MY UNCLE FOR EXAMPLE,
REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.,
WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE TOGETHER
AS BROTHERS OR PERISH TOGETHER
AS FOOLS, WE ARE NOT
UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE ONE
RACE, ONE HUMAN RACE SO WE ARE
STILL IN THESE RACE WARS AND
BATTLING.
IT’S JUST AN ABSOLUTE TERRIBLE
THING TO TAKE A RACIAL SLUR AND
KIND OF THROW IT OUT THERE LIKE
THAT.
AND I UNDERSTAND THAT.
HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT WE ALL
AS HUMAN BEINGS, RED-BLOODED
HUMAN BEINGS, OUR SKIN COLOR
REALLY DOESN’T DEFINE US, IT’S A
CHARACTER THAT DOES.
WE ARE NOT COLOR-BLIND.
WE CAN SEE ETHNICITY AND WE
SHOULD BECAUSE IF WE IGNORE OR
SAY WE CAN’T SEE SKIN COLOR AND
WE CAN’T SEE THE OPPRESSION AND
THE WRONGDOING THAT HAPPENS EVEN
DOWN TO THE LITTLE BABIES IN THE
WOMB ALL THE WAY TO ALL PEOPLE.
SO FIGHTING OVER SKIN COLOR
REALLY IS THE PROBLEM BUT THAT’S
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW AND
THAT’S WHY I SAY IT’S A
TEACHABLE MOMENT.
THE RACISM REALLY DOES HAVE TO
GO AND WE REALLY HAVE TO BEGIN
TO REGARD AND RESPECT EACH OTHER
AS HUMAN BEINGS.
>> Laura: HEAR, HEAR.
DID ABC NOT KNOW THOUGH WHAT
THEY WERE GETTING WITH ROSEANNE?
VENTURE WAS COMMENTS IN
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" IS THAT YOU
CAN’T CONTROL ROSEANNE.
LET’S GET HOW WE END ON THIS.
MANY WHO HAVE TRIED AND FAILED.
SHE’S THE ONE AND ONLY.
>> ABC KNEW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS
GETTING WITH ROSEANNE.
SHE HAS BEEN SPREADING
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT 9/11
TO NAZIS FOR MANY YEARS.
IT WAS A GAMBLE THAT SHE WOULD
ZIPPER LEFT AND IT DID CREATE A
FUNNY SHOW.
TOUCH A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE
COUNTRY BUT ABC CANNOT CLAIM TO
BE BLINDSIDED.
THERE’S ONE MORE POINT HERE.
I WAS JUST WAITING, COUNTING
DOWN CNN’S DON LEMON.
ROSEANNE AT PRESIDENT TRUMP.
>> Laura: THEY ARE PUTTING IT
ALTOGETHER.
>> EVEN VALERIE JARRETT WAS
TAKING THE HIGH ROAD AND SHE WAS
SORT OF BLINDSIDED HERE.
THIS HAS NOTHING TO TO DO WIH
DONALD TRUMP.
THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA TURNED
EVERY NEGATIVE CONTROVERSY INTO
A TRAP STORY.
>> Laura: WHAT DO YOU THINK?
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT TYING
THIS TO DONALD TRUMP, WHICH IS
WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING IN TWEETS.
THE GUY FROM SCANDAL, ACTOR
JOSHUA MOLINA SAID ABC IS
GREATER THAN G.O.P.
OTHERS TWEETING SIMILAR THINGS,
DONALD TRUMP CREATED THIS
ATMOSPHERE FOR SOMEONE LIKE
ROSEANNE TO TWEET THAT THINKING
SHE PROBABLY COULD GET AWAY WITH
IT.
>> I BELIEVE ROSEANNE PERHAPS.
AS I SAY, TEACHABLE MOMENT.
JUST THOUGHT SHE COULD SAY OR DO
WHATEVER SHE THOUGHT.
>> Laura: BUT DID DONALD TRUMP
CREATE THE ATMOSPHERE?
>> NO, NO, NO.
NO HE DID NOT.
I VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP.
I’M NOT A RACIST.
>> Laura: I THINK THAT’S
OBVIOUS.
>> WE ARE NOT RACIST.
TO TIE THIS ONE PARTICULAR ACT
FROM ONE PARTICULAR PERSON AND
SAY THAT IT’S DONALD TRUMP --
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP’S FAULT,
THAT’S JUST NOT TRUE.
I THINK THAT WE SHOULD NOT DO
THAT.
>> Laura: WILL SOMEONE ELSE
PICK UP THE SHOW?
>> I THINK IT’S VERY HARD TO
COME BACK FROM THIS KIND OF
RADIOACTIVE CONTROVERSY.
>> Laura: SO NO ONE WILL PICK
UP THE SHOW?
THE MOST POPULAR SHOW OF THE
YEAR.
NO ONE WILL PICK IT UP?
ANY OF THE CAST AND CHARACTERS?
THEY ARE ALL OUT OF JOBS.
>> SOME OF THE PEOPLE WERE
SAYING THEY WERE LEAVING.
THAT’S THE SAD THING HERE.
WITH THIS SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ACT,
ALL THE WRITERS AND TAPE EDITORS
AND PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT BE SO
EASY FOR THEM TO FIND JOBS,
THEY’LL GET --
>> Laura: IT’S A SHAME.
I SELECT ONE MINUTE OF IT.