On Tuesday afternoon, MSNBC released a clip of their upcoming interview with former White House advisor Valerie Jarrett. The attorney who worked with President Obama was the main target of actress Roseanne Barr’s ‘abhorrent’ racist tweet. Barr made the comment Tuesday morning and by Tuesday afternoon, Barr was fired and the hit comeback show ‘Roseanne’ was cancelled.
In review:
Roseanne’s tweet early Tuesday morning:
“if muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.”—Roseanne Barr
ABC’s statement early Tuesday afternoon.
“Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”-ABC
Here is Valerie Jarrett’s response via an MSNBC video, followed by the transcript.
Video transcript:
“I think we have to try and 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 who come right to their defense. The person who’s walking down the street minding their own business and they see somebody cling to their purse, or run across the street, or every black parent I know who has a boy who has to sit down and have a conversation, the “talk” as we call it.
As you say, those ordinary examples of racism happen every single day. And I think that’s why I’m so glad to be here this evening talking with you.” —Valerie Jarrett
NBC adds:
When asked if ABC made the right call in canceling the sitcom “Roseanne,” Jarrett said that the network did and that Bob Iger, the chief executive officer of Disney, had called her before the announcement. Disney is the corporate owner of ABC.
Iger apologized, Jarrett said, adding that he told her there would be zero tolerance for that type of comment.
“He wanted me to know before he made it public that he was canceling the show,” she said.
Jarrett says we need to turn this into a ”teaching moment.” At minimum, it’s a reminder of what Rob Reiner calls “America’s Original Sin.”
Related:
Rob Reiner corners Trump into a ‘Catch-22’ challenge after ABC fires Roseanne for racist remarks.’