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ABC cancels 'Roseanne' following Barr's racist tweet

Following a controversial tweet by the show's star, ABC (US) has canceled sitcom "Roseanne."

The network's axing of the revived comedy came after Roseanne Barr called former President Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett an offspring of the "Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes." Barr subsequently apologized and said she was leaving Twitter Inc.

What impact the cancellation will have on ABC's upfront negotiations remains to be seen, as Barr, whose rebooted sitcom stood as the top new show in broadcast this past season, was the first person on stage during network’s May 15 upfront presentation.

Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, took to the social media network to note the show's axing: "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values and we have decided to cancel her show."

Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Bob Iger followed with his own tweet, backing the decision: "There was only one thing to do here, and that was the right thing."

Dungey became the first African-American woman to head one of the broadcast network’s entertainment units when she was promoted to president in 2016.

Roseanne’s return March 27 garnered an average audience of 18.2 million viewers and a 5.1 rating among adults 18 to 49, the best numbers for a comedy on any network since the 2014 premiere of the genre’s long-running leader, CBS (US)’s "The Big Bang Theory."

The second season of the "Roseanne" revival —which ABC executives at the company's upfront presentation continually noted was broadcast's No. 1 show this year, a distinction held by the network for the first time in 24 years — was slated to serve as a Tuesday launch pad for "The Kids are Alright." The new ensemble comedy offers a look at what it was like to grow up in an Irish-Catholic family with eight boys in the 1970s.

ABC had ordered 13 installments of "Roseanne" for the 2018-19 TV season.

The axing of "Roseanne" adds more uncertainty to ABC's lineup, as long-running drama "Scandal" and sitcom "The Middle" have concluded their runs. The network also canceled "Designated Survivor," the Kiefer Sutherland presidential thriller series that had been one of TV top performers during its rookie season, after its sophomore campaign.