Sara Gilbert Addresses Roseanne Cancellation on The Talk: 'I Stand Behind the Decision ABC Made'

Sara Gilbert wasted no time addressing the elephant in the room on The Talk, opening Monday’s show with a tearful statement about the spectacular fall of ABC’s Roseanne.

 

Speaking to her co-hosts (and viewers), an emotional Gilbert — who spearheaded, exec-produced and co-starred in the one-and-done revival — said, “I would like to say this has been a very difficult week. A lot of people have been hurt by this.

“I will say I’m proud of the show we made,” she continued. “[Roseanne] has always been about diversity, love and inclusion, and it’s sad to see it end in this way. I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process. However, I do stand behind the decision that ABC made.”

Gilbert’s televised catharsis comes roughly a week after ABC pulled the plug on the enormously popular sitcom in the wake of Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet, in which she described African-American former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett as a combination of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet of the Apes. In a statement immediately preceding the cancellation, Gilbert called her TV’s mom’s Tuesday-morning outburst “abhorrent,” adding that the remark does “not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.”

On Friday, we reported that preliminary discussions were underway to possibly keep Roseanne afloat without, well, Roseanne herself. One idea being talked about: A spinoff centered on Gilbert’s Darlene.

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