Roseanne Barr Refuses to Watch The Conners: 'It Didn't Faze Them to Murder My Character'
Paul Dailly
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Roseanne Barr is not a fan of ABC's The Conners.
The comedian is speaking out about the decision to kill off her Roseanne character in the series premiere of the spinoff.
"When they killed my character off, that was a message to me, knowing that I'm mentally ill or have mental health issues, that they did want me to commit suicide," Barr told the Los Angeles Times in an interview this week.
"They killed my character, and my character," she added.
"And all of that was to say thank you for bringing 28 million viewers, which they never had before and will never see again."
Barr went on to say the following:
"Because they can kiss my ass."
Roseanne was once the crown jewel of ABC's schedule, and the revival in 2018 opened to bumper ratings, to the tune of 18.4 million viewers.
The numbers were a rarity on broadcast TV as numbers across the board continue to decline.
ABC swiftly picked up an eleventh season, but the renewal was rescinded after Barr posted what was deemed to be a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to Barack Obama.
Months later, ABC ordered The Conners, a spinoff featuring the principal cast of the original series.
Barr was not invited back, and The Conners Season 1 Episode 1 revealed that her character died of an opioid overdose.
The actress and comedian was surprised at how her co-stars, including John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Sara Gilbert, handled her controversial exit.
"I can't know what they think or feel," she shared.
"I don't know why they did what they did. I'm not like them. I realized that."
"I can't believe what they did, with all the pain that I went through to bring the show back."
"And it didn't faze them to murder my character, either."
Barr said that she forgives everybody.
"I forgive everybody," she said.
"I started thinking that God took me out of there to save me. And once I started thinking that way, I was, like, a lot better off."
Barr revealed that the experience took a toll on her.
The Conners is currently airing its fifth season and is a slam dunk for a sixth-season renewal.
"I've come out on the other side of it, finally," she said.
"But it was a witch-burning. And it was terrifying… I would die many times. I guess you would call it the dark night of the soul."
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
