Roseanne Barr Talks ABC Firing in Emotional Interview: ‘I Definitely Feel Remorse’

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has released an edited transcript and audio recording of the interview he conducted with former ABC star Roseanne Barr shortly after the cancellation of her series “Roseanne.”

In the interview, Barr claims that she “never would have wittingly called any black person…a monkey.”

“It’s really hard to say this but, I didn’t mean what they think I meant,” Barr said of her tweet. “And that’s what’s so painful. But I have to face that it hurt people. When you hurt people even unwillingly there’s no excuse. I don’t want to run off and blather on with excuses. But I apologize 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.”

Barr spoke through tears for much of the interview. “You have to feel remorse, not just repentance. That’s just a step towards feeling remorse. And when you feel remorse you have to follow it with recompense,” Barr said tearfully. “You have to take an action in the world – whether it’s through money or other things – to correct your sin. After your heart is unfrozen and after it stops being broken from the pain you caused others, you stop being a robot and you gotta’ come back to God. So it’s remorse, and I definitely feel remorse.”

More to come…

Related stories

The 'Roseanne' Spinoff Can't Escape Roseanne (Column)

'Roseanne' Spinoff 'The Conners' Ordered by ABC

ABC Considers Plans to Rebrand 'Roseanne' Without Controversial Star

Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!