Roseanne Barr has opened up on the online race storm that engulfed her last month, leading to the cancellation of her recently revived sitcom.
Last month, the comedian was widely condemned after she compared ex-Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is African American, to an ape.
The controversial Twitter post saw Barr being branded a ‘racist’ and led to the cancellation of her eponymous sitcom – only months after it returned to huge ratings.
In her first interview since the controversy, Barr has voiced her regret over becoming a “hate magnet” in the aftermath of the incident, which saw her comparing Ms Jarrett to the 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,” she told Rabbi Shmuley Boteac.
She also reiterated her belief that the outburst had been caused by her sleeping bills, an explanation that has been widely debunked.
“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.”
Although Barr insists that the meaning of her tweet was misconstrued, she accepts the consequences of it.
“I have to face that it hurt people. When you hurt people, even unwillingly, there’s no excuse”, she said.
“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.”
Although ABC initially planned to axe the show, it was last week announced that a 10-episode sitcom starring the Conner family will air in the autumn