[ APPLAUSE ]
>>> GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. WELCOME TO THE SHOW.ERYONE.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
IM MEGYN KELLY.
ROSEANNE BARR HAD THE HOTTEST SITCOM ON TELEVISION. HOTTEST
SITCOM ON TELEVISION. TODAY, SHES OUT OF A JOB.
HER RACIST TWEET EARLY MONDAY
MORNING ABOUT VALERIE JARRETT,
AN AIDE TO FORMER PRESIDENT
OBAMA WAS THE END FOR HER.
ABC CANCELED THE "ROSEANNE" REBOOT WITHIN HOURS.SEANNE"
REBOOT WITHIN HOURS. HER MANAGEMENT COMPANY DROPPED
HER.
AND THE RERUNS OF HER ORIGINAL SHOW ARE BEING PULLED.ORIGINAL
SHOW ARE BEING PULLED. NBCS CRAIG MELVIN HAS MORE
REPORTING, INCLUDING ROSEANNE BARRS ALL-NIGHT TWEET STORM.E
BARRS ALL-NIGHT TWEET STORM. >> Reporter: OVERNIGHT, BARR
RETURNED TO TWITTER, SENDING OUT
SEVERAL APOLOGIES.
SEVERAL APOLOGIES. DONT FEEL SORRY FOR ME, GUYS.
TODAY, MY WORDS CAUSED HUNDREDS
OF HARD-WORKING PEOPLE TO LOSE THEIR JOBS.KING PEOPLE TO LOSE
THEIR JOBS. LATER IN EXPLAINING IN A DELETED
TWEET, IT WAS 2:00 IN THE
MORNING AND I WAS AMBIEN TWEETING.ND I WAS AMBIEN
TWEETING.
THEN, SHE CLAIMED THE COMMENT WASNT RACIST.IMED THE COMMENT
WASNT RACIST. >> WHATS UP, DEPLORABLE?
>> Reporter: IT ALL STEMS FROM AN EARLY TUESDAY MORNING TWEET
STORM.
STORM.
BARR, REPLYING TO A TWEET ABOUT
THE OBAMA CONSPIRACY THEORY,
WRITING THIS ABOUT FORMER OBAMA
ADVISER, VALERIE JARRETT. MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND PLANET OF
THE APES HAD A BABY, EQUALS V.J.
JARRETT ADDRESSED THE TWEET
DURING A PLANNED MSNBC TOWN HALL
ON RACISM IN AMERICA ON TUESDAY
NIGHT.
NIGHT.
>> IM FINE.
>> Reporter: HOURS AFTER TUESDAYS POST, BARR BEAT THETWE
APOLOGY FOR MAKING A BAD JOKE
AND DECLARED SHE WAS LEAVING
TWITTER.
TWITTER.
BUT THE TWEETS DID LITTLE TO CALM THE FIRESTORM.LITTLE TO
CALM THE FIRESTORM.
HOURS LATER, ABC CANCELED THE HIT SHOW.ER, ABC CANCELED THE
HIT SHOW. THE ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT SAID
BARRS STATEMENT IS ABHORRENT,
REPUGNANT AND INCONSISTENT WITH
OUR VALUES.
OUR VALUES. SOME ARE PRAISING ABCS DECISION
TO DROP THE SITCOM, WHILE OTHERS
SAID THE NETWORK SHOULD HAVE
SEEN IT COMING.
BARR HAS REPEATEDLY TWEETED
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT PACK
PARKLAND SHOOTING SURVIVORS AND
MOST RECENTLY, CHELSEA CLINTON,
SAYING THE FORMER FIRST DAUGHTER
WAS MARRIED TO A NEPHEW OF
GEORGE SOROS.
GEORGE SOROS. AND WHEN CLINTON CORRECTED HER,
SHE TOOK ANOTHER SHOT.
OVERNIGHT, BARR TWEETED SEVERAL
PERSONAL APOLOGIES.
PERSONAL APOLOGIES. BEFORE NEWS OF THE CANCELLATION,
PRODUCER WANDA SYKES ANNOUNCED
SHE WAS QUITTING THE SHOW.
THE LATEST SEASON CENTERING
AROUND A WHITE WORKING CLASS
FAMILY HAS TACKLED HOT-BUTTON
ISSUES HEAD-ON.
ISSUES HEAD-ON. BARR HAS BEEN AN OUTSPOKEN
SUPPORTER OF PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
BROUGHT HER POLITICS TO THE
SHOW.
SHOW.
>> MOST OF ALL, LORD, THANK YOU FOR MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.
>> Reporter: TRUMP HAS
PREVIOUSLY PRAISED THE SHOWS
RATINGS.
RATINGS.
BUT AT A POLITICAL RALLY TUESDAY
NIGHT, THE PRESIDENT DID NOT ADDRESS THE ACTRESS OR THEOT
ADDRESS THE ACTRESS OR THE TWEET.
TWEET.
NOW, JUST MONTHS AFTER BARRS RETURN TO THE SPOTLIGHT, ANS
RETURN TO THE SPOTLIGHT, AN ABRUPT ENDING TO HER SHOW AND
POSSIBLY HER TV CAREER.
>> WOW.
>> WOW. JOINING ME NOW TO DISCUSS IT,
NBCS CRAIG MELVIN AND THERESA
GUTHRIE AND ZERLINA MAXWELL.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
[ APPLAUSE ] SO, THIS IS BIG.
THIS WAS BIG.
KUDOS TO VALERIE JARRETT FOR
HANDLING IT WITH CLASS.
SHE SAID, IT ISNT ABOUT ME BUT
PEOPLE DONT HAVE THE SUPPORT
SYSTEM I HAVE.
SHE HANDLED IT WITH THE
COMMENTS.
COMMENTS.
LETS JUST START WITH WHY THIS TWEET ROSE TO A LEVEL THAT NONE
OF ROSEANNES OTHERS HAD.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, SHE HAS A LONG
HISTORY OF MAKING CONTROVERSIAL
COMMENTS.
COMMENTS.
IN 2013, SHE DESCRIBED SUSAN RICE, FORMER OBAMA ADVISER AS A
BIG MAN WITH SWINGING APE
TESTICLES, LETS SAY.
SHE CALLED HUMA ABEDIN, FORMER
HILLARY CLINTON AID, A JEW-HATER
AND A FILTHY NAZI WHORE.
SHE PROMOTED PIZZAGATE.
ROSEANNES HISTORY IS
WELL-DOCUMENTED.
WELL-DOCUMENTED.
WHAT WAS IT?
ZERLINA, LET ME START WITH YOU ABOUT THIS TWEET THAT WASH YOU
ABOUT THIS TWEET THAT WAS DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT.
>> I THINK ITS A PERFECT STORM
OF A DIFFERENT SERIES OF THINGS. SO, I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A
FACTOR IN MAKING RACE AND RACISM
SOMETHING THAT WERE ALL MORE
CONSCIOUS ABOUT.
CONSCIOUS ABOUT.
WERE TALKING ABOUT IT MORE. WEVE SEEN AN UPTICK OR AT LEAST
MORE AWARENESS ABOUT POLICE
INCIDENTS WITH BLACK, UNARMED
BLACK PEOPLE.
BLACK PEOPLE.
WE HAVE SEEN INCIDENT WHERES BLACK PEOPLE ARE JUST LIVING
THEIR LIVES, NAPPING, BAR CUEKU
BARBECUING, HANGING OUT, AND
WHITE PEOPLE ARE CALLING POLICE
ON THE BLACK PEOPLE.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN A SLEW OF
EXAMPLES.
EXAMPLES.
WOMEN HAVING A BARBECUE,
INNOCENTLY, WHO THE POLICE
CALLED.
WOMEN COMING OUT, BRINGING
LUGGAGE TO THEIR CAR, WHO DIDNT MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH A WHITENT
MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH A WHITE WOMAN WHO SAW THEM, GETTING THE
POLICE CALLED ON THEM.
THERES BEEN A RASH OF INCIDENTS
LATELY.
LATELY.
CLEARLY, THERE WAS A BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR ABC.RE WAS A BRIDGE TOO
FAR FOR ABC. I BELIEVE ABC WAS TRYING IN THE
REBOOT TO DO SOMETHING GOOD,
WHICH IS TO OFFER PROGRAMMING
THAT WOULD RESONATE WITH MIDDLE
AMERICA, WITH FOLKS WHO DID VOTE
FOR DONALD TRUMP, WHO FEEL
MARGINALIZED BY THINGS ON TV OR
THE HOLLYWOOD ELITE IN GENERAL.
THAT WAS THE INTENTION.
>> YES.
>> YES. IT DID RESONATE.
IT HAD -- WHEN YOU ADD IN SOME
OF THE DELAYED VIEWING, THOSE
EPISODES HAD 20 MILLION PEOPLE
WATCHING THEM.
WATCHING THEM. IT DID RESONATE.
AND THEY DID TRY TO, YES, TO
YOUR POINT, INSERT GOOD MESSAGES
INTO THE PROGRAMMING.
THERE WAS A MUSLIM FAMILY THAT
MOVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND AT FIRST, THE CONNORS
WERE --
WERE --
>> ROSEANNE SHOWED HER BIAS IN
THE EPISODE.
SHE THOUGHT THEY WERE
TERRORISTS.
>> AND SHE GOT TO KNOW THEM AS HUMAN BEINGS.T TO KNOW THEM AS
HUMAN BEINGS. THREE
THREE THREE-DIMENSIONAL HUMAN BEINGS.
BUT THE TWEET WAS AN
ACCUMULATION OF THINGS.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST THAT
ROSEANNES TWEETS HAVE CAUSED
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
>> REALLY INCENDIARY. NOT LIKE THE OTHERS ARE
BORDERLINE.
BORDERLINE.
>> BUT THEY HAD TO KNOW SOMEDAY
THEY WOULD BE IN THIS SITUATION
WITH HER.
SHE SAID SHE WAS GOING TO QUIT TWITTER, SHE NEVER HAS.TO QUIT
TWITTER, SHE NEVER HAS. SHES STILL ON TWITTER.
HER HISTORY WITH THESE COMMENTS,
THE OFFENSIVE COMMENTS AND THE
FACT THAT SHE IS JUST ENCOURAGE
ENCOURAGIBLE WITH TWITTER.
THEY KNEW THEY WOULD BE IN THIS
SITUATION.
SITUATION.
I DONT KNOW IF THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE IN THIS SOON.OUGHT IT
WOULD BE IN THIS SOON. >> WE SHOULDNT LOSE SIGHT OF
THE FACT THAT ABC IS OWNED BY
DISNEY.
DISNEY.
ITS A COMPANY THATS COGNIZANT OF ITS IMAGE. THATS COGNIZANT
OF ITS IMAGE. SOMETHING ELSE THATS LOST IN
THIS IS THE PRESIDENT OF ABC
ENTERTAINMENT IS A BLACK WOMAN.
I THINK IT IS A SITUATION WHERE
THE SPEED WITH WHICH THEY ACTED,
IF YOU REALLY LOOK, HER FIRST
TWEET WAS EARLY YESTERDAY
MORNING.
MORNING.
AND SHE WAS FIRED BEFORE 2:00 P.M.SHE WAS FIRED BEFORE 2:00
P.M.
>> WITHIN HOURS. WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH
THE ADVERTISERS?
THE ADVERTISERS? IF THEY HADNT FIRED HER, WOULD
SHE HAVE ADVERTISERS LEFT?
>> I SPOKE TO SOME PEOPLE, SOME
ADVERTISERS YESTERDAY.
ADVERTISERS YESTERDAY. ALL OF THEM SAID WE DIDNT HAVE
TIME TO INTERNALLY TALK ABOUT
THIS.
THIS.
THEY HAVE NOT FINALIZED DEALS ON WHAT WOULD BE THE NEW SEASON OFN
WHAT WOULD BE THE NEW SEASON OF ABCS PROGRAMMING YET.
>> THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN
ENORMOUS PRESSURE.
ENORMOUS PRESSURE.
>> YES.
IM SURE IN THE CONVERSATIONS,
THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN PRESSURE
FROM GROUPS BROUGHT TO BEAR.
>> THEY DONT WANT TO BE SEEN AS
ENDORSING THAT.
THE TV CHARACTER ROSEANNE WAS NOT QUITE AS BAD AS THIS, RIGHT?
SHE WAS KIND OF OPEN ABOUT BIAS
BIASES, BUT NOT LIKE THIS.
NOT REFERRING TO AN
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN AS THE
PRODUCT OF AN APE.
I MEAN, THATS WHAT SHE SAID.
AND TODAY, SHE TRIED TO DEFEND
HERSELF BY SAYING, I THOUGHT SHE
WAS WHITE AND I THOUGHT SHE WAS
JEWISH.
JEWISH.
AND YOU KNOW, SHE IS ACCUSING HER OF BEING THE PRODUCT OF THE
MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND ALLEGEDLY
SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS JEWISH.
ROSEANNE IS SPINNING.
>> SHE BLAMED AMBIEN, TOO.
WHO KNEW THAT ONE OF THE
SIDE-EFFECTS OF AMBIEN WAS
RACISM.
RACISM.
>> JUST GO FOR THE TYLENOL P.M. CAN I ASK YOU THIS?TYLENOL P.M.
CAN I ASK YOU THIS? NOW SOME ARE SAYING -- SOME ARE
DEFENDING ROSEANNE, NOT HER
COMMENT, BUT THE CANCELLATION
AND SAYING ITS A DOUBLE
DOUBLE-STANDARD BECAUSE THEY
POINT TO BILL MAHER ON HBO, WHO
REFERRED TO TRUMP AS THE SON OF
AN ORANGUTAN, A REFERENCE TO
SKIN COLOR.
SKIN COLOR. BILL MAHER HAS REFERRED TO WOMEN
BY THE "C" WORD.
WHY IS THAT NOT A BRIDGE?
WHERE DO WE DRAW OUR LINES?
>> TO CRAIGS POINT, THIS IS THE
DISNEY XAENLCOMPANY.
DISNEY XAENLCOMPANY. BILL MAHER IS ON HBO.
THERES NO ADVERTISERS ON HBO.
>> WHAT ARE THEIR PRINCIPLES?
>> THATS UP TO THEM.
>> THERES A HISTORIC CONTEXT
THATS MISSING IN THE BILL MAHER
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE.
THERE ISNT A MYSTERYIS HISTORY MEN BEING COMPARED TO MONKEYS OR
APES OR DEEMED LESS THAN BECAUSE
OF THE SIZE OF THEIR SKULLS.
THATS SOMETHING THATS TRUE
ABOUT AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN THIS
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
WITH THE BILL MAHER EXAMPLE, YOU CAN ARGUE THAT HE HAS SAIDE, YOU
CAN ARGUE THAT HE HAS SAID THINGS THAT ARE SIMILARLY
OFFENSIVE.
OFFENSIVE.
BUT THERES NOT THAT SAME HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THAT
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE.
>> I THINK THAT -- I MEAN, BILL MAHER MAKING FUN OF TRUMPS SKIN
COLOR COULD HAVE CHOSEN CHEETOS.
THATS BEEN A THING.
DOESNT MAKE IT BETTER. BUT IT WASNT A RACE REFERENCE.
>> TALK ABOUT WHAT TRUMP SAYS
AND DOES AND NOT WHAT HE LOOKS
LIKE.
LIKE.
>> HE GIVES YOU PLENTY OF FODDER IF YOU WANT TO CRITICIZE HIM.DER
IF YOU WANT TO CRITICIZE HIM. I WILL SAY BILL MAHER, I DONT
UNDERSTAND HOW WE KEEP HOLDING
UP.
UP.
SOME PEOPLE, THEY COVER HIM SO REGULARLY.E, THEY COVER HIM SO
REGULARLY.
AND ITS LIKE, PEOPLE HAVE ASKED
ME ABOUT COMMENTS HED MADE
ABOUT ME.
YOU WANT ME TO RESPOND TO
SOMEBODY THAT SAID SOMETHING
ABOUT ME, GO FIND SOMEONE THAT
DOESNT REFER TO WOMEN AS THE "C" WORD.FER TO WOMEN AS THE
"C" WORD.
I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE HUGE
PLATFORM THAT BILL MAHER HAS.
NOW SOME, THOUGH, ARE TRYING TO
MAKE THIS ABOUT TRUMP, RIGHT? AND ITS NOT COMPLETELY RIGHT?
AND ITS NOT COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED.
DISCONNECTED.
HER CHARACTER LOVED TRUMP. SHE LOVES TRUMP.VED TRUMP.
SHE LOVES TRUMP.
TRUF
TRUMP LOVES HER.
"THE NEW YORK TIMES" TIMES
ROXANNE GAY, WROTE, THE PROMINENT CHARACTER ON A TV SHOW
AS A TRUMP SUPPORTER NORMALIZES
RACISM, MISOGYNY AND XENOPHOBIA.
IS THAT FAIR?
MAYBE THEY WILL CLAP FOR THAT,
MAYBE THEY WONT.
YOU TELL ME WHETHER YOU BELIEVE.
SHOULD THERE NOT BE A MAJOR
CHARACTER ON TELEVISION THAT IS
A PROMINENT TRUMP SUPPORTER?
>> SURE.
>> SURE.
BUT THEY DONT HAVE TO BE RACIST.Y DONT HAVE TO BE
RACIST.
TRUMP SUPPORTERS SAY WERE NOT
RACIST.
NOT ALL TRUMP SUPPORTERS ARE
RACIST.
IF THATS TRUE, YOU CAN DEPICT A
TRUMP SUPPORTER ON TELEVISION
WITHOUT THEM BEING RACIST.
I WOULD ARGUE, IF YOU VOTED FOR DONALD TRUMP, YOU TOLERATE AFOR
DONALD TRUMP, YOU TOLERATE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF RACISM.
THATS A FACT.
WE NEED TO BE HONEST HOW WERE
LOOKING AT THESE SITUATIONS
REALLY, CONFRONTING THE HISTORY
IN THIS COUNTRY.
THATS THE ORIGINAL THING.
>> THATS THE THING.
>> ITS IMPORTANT FOR US TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THAT AFFECTS US
TODAY IN HOW WE VIEW RACE.
>> I FEEL LIKE YOU JUST PUT YOUR
FINGER ON IT.
THERES NO QUESTION THAT SOME OF
WHAT TRUMP HAS SAID, AT A
MINIMUM, RACIAL UNDERTONES,
SEXUAL UNDERTONES.
SEXUAL UNDERTONES. IF YOU WANT TO GIVE THE BENEFIT
OF THE DOUBT, WE GO WITH
UNDERTONES.
UNDERTONES.
BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN ALL OF HIS SUPPORTERS ARE RACISTS ANDF HIS
SUPPORTERS ARE RACISTS AND SEXISTS AND XENOPHOBES.
BUT IT SHOWS THAT THAT WASNT
THE VOTING ISSUE.
SOME OF MIDDLE AMERICA HATE HIS
COMMENTS AND HIS TWEETS AND
RHETORIC, BUT THOUGHT HE WOULD
HELP WITH THEIR POCKETBOOK OR
THEIR KIDS OR HEALTH CARE.
AND MY TAKEAWAY IN 2016, ITS
UNFORTUNATE THEY HAD TO MAKE
THAT CHOICE.
THAT CHOICE. ITS UNFORTUNATE THEY HAD TO
TAKE THAT CHOICE.
FINAL WORD, DO YOU THINK THIS
MEANS ANYTHING FOR THE FUTURE OF
PROGRAMMING?
PROGRAMMING?
WILL ABC OR OTHER CHANNELS TRY TO DO MORE TO REACH OUT TO TRY
TO DO MORE TO REACH OUT TO MIDDLE AMERICA WITH A LESS
CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE OR
CHARACTER?
CHARACTER?
>> I THINK THEY WILL.
I THINK ONE THING THAT ABC HAS FOUND IS ITS PROFITABLE.BC HAS
FOUND IS ITS PROFITABLE. YOU LOOK AT THE RATINGS FOR
ROSEANNE IN THE FIRST SEASON.
WERE TALKING 18 MILLION PEOPLE
ON AVERAGE EVERY WEEK.
YEAH.
JUST AS YOU SAID, THERE IS A LARGE SWATH OF THIS COUNTRY THAT
CONTINUES TO FEEL LIKE THE FOLKS
IN NEW YORK AND D.C. AND CHICAGO
AND L.A.
AND L.A. REALLY DONT CARE ABOUT THEM.
REALLY DONT KNOW THEM, REALLY
DONT UNDERSTAND THEM.
SO, THERES A MARKET FOR IT.
BUT I ALSO THINK THAT THESE
NETWORKS AND CABLE OUTFITS WILL
BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL.
AS YOU INDICATED, I MEAN, ITS
HARD TO IMAGINE THAT NO ONE SAW
THIS COMING.
THIS COMING. LOOKING AT SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT SHE HAS TWEETED IN THE
PAST, THINGS SHE SAID IN THE
PAST, AS WELL.
DONT FORGET "THE STAR-SPANGLED
BANNER."
BANNER."
>> EXACTLY. THAT WAS BACK IN 2000.
>> IT WAS BEFORE THAT.
>> A LONG TIME AGO.