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IN AN EMOTIONAL interview, Roseanne Barr has said she definitely feels remorse for the racist tweet that prompted ABC to cancel the revival of Roseanne.
Barr recorded a podcast interview with her longtime friend, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who yesterday published an edited transcript and recording of the conversation.
In the interview, Barr claims she “never would have wittingly called any black person a monkey”.
Barr spoke through tears for much of the interview, her first since the cancellation of Roseanne.
She also lamented that some people don’t accept her explanation blaming the sleep drug Ambien for a tweet that likened former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to a person created by the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes.
“I said to God, ‘I am willing to accept whatever consequences this brings because I know I’ve done wrong. I’m going to accept what the consequences are,’ and I do, and I have,’” Barr said.
But they don’t ever stop. They don’t accept my apology, or explanation. And I’ve made myself a hate magnet. And as a Jew, it’s just horrible. It’s horrible.
Barr said of her tweet that she “didn’t mean what they think I meant”.
“But I have to face that it hurt people,” Barr said.
When you hurt people even unwillingly there’s no excuse. I don’t want to run off and blather on with excuses. But I apologise to anyone who thought, or felt offended and who thought that I meant something that I, in fact, did not mean. It was my own ignorance, and there’s no excuse for that ignorance.
ABC last Thursday announced it will this fall air a 10-episode Conner family sitcom without Barr in it. In a statement issued by the show’s producer, Barr said she agreed to the settlement to save the jobs of 200 cast and crew members.
ABC swiftly axed Roseanne last month after Barr’s tweet. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said it was “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values”.
Though Roseanne prompted outrage for jokes about minority characters and an episode some called Islamophobic, it was watched by an enormous television audience. The first episode in March was seen by more than 25 million people.
“I’ve lost everything,” Barr said on the podcast. “And I regretted it before I lost everything.”
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Sounds like a Stalker’s Paradise.
Why not have speed date flight where everyone moves every few minutes. After the seat belt light is switched off of course.
Sweet, whole row to myself. (At least on flights that aren’t fully booked)
Well if you look like an egg I wouldn’t wonder why :)
Oh Peter. That made me laugh so much. Thanks for brightening my day.
Hilarious Peter. Ha
Just puta photo of a fat guy with red birthmark on face… You will then have 3 seats to yourself,
As cabin crew myself…..are you effing serious?????? KLM must be desperate for passengers!
A sure way to be seated next to a cat owner, stalker, rapist or axe murderer…..fortunately airport security should sort out the last one!!!!
Could we get the opposite? A chance to veto who can sit beside us based on profile…
“Hannibal Lector wishes to sit beside you. Allow Yes/No?” I would be interested in knowing the girth of the passenger.
Novel idea bound to catch on
For people who hate the idea just opt not to participate but wouldn’t it be great if it meant all the chatty people would seek each other out and leave the book readers, sleepers, thinkers alone
Good point :-)
Was at a Salesforce event at September, KLM had presentation about there company and leveraging social media. Unbelievable stuff, they really showed what companies can do when you think different. Well done KLM, keep up the good work.
Fail..
No way to let KLM share my FB profile to any passengers that I dont know and totally stranger to me….
I fly KLM long-haul regularly – will now consider changing carriers.
Are they serious? Sad….. What is the world coming to?
Sexy…
I am sure it would be an empty flight if people saw that Salman Rushdie was aboard!
While it’s nice to meet interesting people and I like my social media, isn’t this just a tad creepy :-o
So if you don’t pick your seat, the person beside you will assume you have, awkward, no?
Do we get to see the FB profile of the pilot ?
Like Irene said, it is just an option. Nobody will be forced to select a ‘flight companion’! Remember, there are millions of people out there who would genuinely love this. We all know the type – they have over a thousand facebook friends, they follow anything and everything on Twitter and they’re likely helping G+ simply by logging in. Whether you like it or not people can be quite voyeuristic. That’s the inconvenient truth for you lot who panned it straight away. Social media is a tool for spying and allowing others to spy on us. If any of you ever do fly with KLM, let me know whether you were tempted to tick the box or not. I know where my money is!
Personally, I think KLM have really put a lot of thought into this, and it is something that just might offer further insights to our behaviour with social media. Well done KLM, keep up the good work.
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