Tag Archives: ABC/Disney

CNBC reports: Disney CEO Bob Iger opened the door to selling the company’s linear TV assets as the business struggles during the media industry’s transition to streaming and digital offerings. Iger appeared on CNBC on Thursday, the morning after the company announced it would extend his contract by two years through 2026. Disney is going to be “expansive” in its …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Disney revealed Wednesday that streaming service Disney+ has already drawn 10 million sign-ups. That number, which the company ascribed in a press release to “extraordinary consumer demand,” may help explain why the service experienced widespread outages after launching early Tuesday. The glitches, which the company attributed to unexpectedly high interest that overloaded its technological infrastructure, diminished over …

USA Today reports: After blaming Ambien, herself (briefly) and anti-Semitism for her 2018 firing after a racist tweet about former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett, Roseanne Barr is now pointing the finger at former first lady Michelle Obama and former ABC programming chief Channing Dungey. “(Obama) said, ‘This tweet is unforgivable.’ That’s what I was told and I tend to believe …

The Jerusalem Post reports: Roseanne Barr told The Jerusalem Post this week that she was fired by ABC from the reboot of her sitcom due in part to antisemitism. “I feel that what happened to me, a large part of it is antisemitism,” the Jewish actress told the Post in a phone interview on Thursday from her home in Hawaii. …

The New York Daily News reports: Roseanne Barr said she hopes to be living in Israel and studying the Torah when “The Conners” hits the airwaves without her this fall. The fired “Roseanne” star revealed her plan for the spinoff show’s October premiere during an appearance on the conservative “Promised Land” podcast Sunday. Barr said if she were to stay …

Here is the official synopsis: “After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before. This iconic family — Dan, Jackie, Darlene, Becky and D.J. — grapples with parenthood, dating, an unexpected pregnancy, financial pressures, aging and in-laws in working-class America. Through it all, …

The Decider reports: Now that ABC is officially going forward with The Conners, there’s a Roseanne-shaped elephant in the room. How will the show continue without its star? The logline for The Conners suggests that Roseanne has died: the series “will follow the Conner family who, after a sudden turn of events, are forced to face the daily struggles of …

“If she’s watching, I’m so sorry that you thought I was racist and that you thought my tweet was racist. Because it wasn’t. It was political. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding that caused, my ill-worded tweet. And you know I’m sorry that you feel harmed and hurt. I never meant that. And for that I apologize. I never meant to …

“When ABC called and asked me to explain my [makes air quotes] egregious and unforgivable tweet, I told them I thought Valerie Jarrett was white and I also said I’m willing to go on The View, Jimmy Kimmel, or whatever show you want me to go on and explain that to my audience. Instead about 40 minutes after that my …

The New York Post reports: Roseanne Barr claims she’s fielded several offers since the “Roseanne” reboot got the ax. “Inside every bad thing is a good thing waiting to happen, and I feel very excited because I already have been offered so many things, and I almost accepted one really good offer to go back on TV,” Barr, 65, said …

NBC News reports: ‘Roseanne’ is returning, but without its namesake. ABC has given a series order to “The Conners,” a spinoff starring original cast members John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman. Not part of the new series will be Roseanne Barr, who played the matriarch on the long-running and recently revived — and more recently …

From the Hollywood Reporter: The proposed Roseanne spinoff is still very much alive at ABC, and negotiations are said to have moved to a new phase thanks to concessions from its erstwhile star. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Roseanne Barr has agreed in principle to walk away from the characters she helped create in order to allow Roseanne’s cast …

“Roseanne will always be my friend but her world came crashing down this week with a series of tweets she put out on Tuesday that were so full of racism, conspiracy theories and personal attacks they were described as abhorrent bordering on presidential. Roseanne has said she has multiple personalities – and unfortunately one of them is quite a racist. …

CBS News reports: The day after ABC pulled the plug on her No. 1 show over a racist tweet, Roseanne Barr returned to Twitter with a vengeance. The embattled comic hinted she may challenge the cancellation, tweeting to her fans Wednesday, “you guys make me feel like fighting back. I will examine all of my options carefully and get back …

The Associated Press reports: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday suggested an executive behind ABC’s cancellation of sitcom “Roseanne” was biased while the White House said it did not defend comedian Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet that sparked the decision. Trump doubled down on that accusation again Thursday morning tweeting, “Iger, where is my call of apology? You and ABC have …

Entertainment Weekly reports: There could be a scenario in the works where ABC salvages significant parts of Roseanne without having to say goodbye to some of the best actors on television (here’s looking at you, Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman). Though ABC made a swift decision Tuesday to cancel the successful reboot, EW has learned that ABC has not exactly …

The Daily Beast reports: Less than 24 hours after the Roseanne reboot was canceled, former Trump campaign aide Michael Caputo began plotting ways to get her back on air. Caputo is the chief marketing officer of an online streaming TV startup called Bond, which aims to fund film and television programming through “crowd-investing.” He told The Daily Beast that he …

Mediaite reports: President Trump has finally weighed in on Roseanne Barr and has decided the person most worthy of condemnation here is Disney CEO Bob Iger. No, seriously. Yes, after Barr’s show was cancelled because of her racist comment about Valerie Jarrett, Jarrett revealed that she received a call from Disney CEO Bob Iger. Iger himself tweeted yesterday that it …

CNBC reports: Ambien maker Sanofi isn’t buying Roseanne Barr’s claim that she compared former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape because she was “ambien tweeting.” “While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication,” the French drugmaker posted to its American Twitter account on Wednesday. Ambien is used to treat …

People Magazine reports: Roseanne Barr returned to Twitter after the cancellation of her ABC show Roseanne. The 65-year-old actress previously said she quit Twitter after she received backlash for a racist tweet she wrote Monday night about former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett. But late Tuesday night the star went on yet another Twitter spree, blaming her racist Tweet on …