What’s Next for Roseanne after ABC Cancellation Over Racist Tweets?
CBS Reports:
“Stellar ratings and an apology weren’t enough to mitigate Roseanne Barr’s racist comments, and now ABC is pulling the plug on “Roseanne.” ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey confirmed the network has decided to cancel the “Roseanne” reboot.
“Dungey said in a statement, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.” In 2016, Dungey made headlines when she became the first African-American to run the entertainment division of a major broadcast television network.
“Bob Iger, chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, shared Dungey’s statement on Twitter and added the comment, “There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing”… (read more)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpg7FDe2MWY
What’s next for Roseanne?
The growing consensus is that Roseanne Barr’s Television career is over. Although US historical attitude about such incidents is mixed, we have a pretty long history of people reinventing themselves. Also, Roseanne is known for being determined. She is not the type to simply fade away and become a wallflower. But it is virtually impossible to get a network gig any time in the near future.
No network will want her in the short term because it will be impossible to find sponsors. However, most of the 18 million fans of the now cancelled show will likely follow her wherever she goes. There is a high probability that many will pay for that content too.
Bill O’Reilly, who left Fox News amid accusations of sexual harassment took his 4 million TV show fans with him to a premium podcast and charges $5.95 month for his programming. One could easily see Roseanne take a similar approach to keep her eyes in front of others. What would the show be like? Maybe a joke a day via audio. Maybe short stand up routines each week. Maybe scripted shows. Hard to say, but there are many people among the 18 million viewers she had at ABC that will likely follow her wherever she goes. They will do this if, for no other reason, their disdain for the mainstream media (these same people follow Donald Trump, no matter what).
If she’s going to do this, she needs to move fast. In our culture, it takes no time to become an after thought. Those who think Roseanne will simply fade away are likely very mistaken.
