Jimmy Kimmel returned to late night on Tuesday evening nearly one week after he was suspended by ABC. Roseanne Barr has since wasted no time in calling out the blatant “double standard” at play here seven years after ABC fired her over a tweet.
Barr Sounds Off
“It just shows how they think. I got my whole life ruined, no forgiveness, all of my work stolen, and called a racist for time and eternity, for racially misgendering someone,” Barr, 72, told NewsNation on Tuesday morning. “It’s a double standard.”
“I’ve been erased from history, from the history of feminism, which that cracks me up,” she continued. “I’m never mentioned in anything about women who are pioneers in media. I’m never mentioned in anything anymore.”
Kimmel’s Suspension
This all started on Monday, September 15. On Jimmy Kimmel Live! that night, Kimmel falsely suggested that Kirk’s assassin was “MAGA.” In reality, the shooter was a radicalized young man who held far-left ideologies, according to investigators.
“We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything they can to score political points from it,” Kimmel said on Monday night
Two days later, ABC suspended Kimmel indefinitely. Insiders told Daily Mail that Kimmel, 57, was “absolutely [expletive] livid” when he heard of his suspension. This came mere hours before he was set to go on air for his nightly program.
After days of liberal Hollywood melting down over Kimmel’s suspension, ABC reversed course and brought the leftwing late night host back last night.
“We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,” ABC told The Associated Press.
This was in stark contrast to how Barr was treated by ABC when she had her own free speech scandal seven years ago.
Barr Fired By ABC
Barr was fired by ABC back in 2018 after she posted a tweet about Barack Obama’s former advisor Valerie Jarrett that some felt was racist in nature.
Then-ABC chief Channing Dungey, who has since gone on to work for the Obamas, fired Barr within hours. Barr later told Sunday Times Magazine that she “was told” that Dungey fired her after being advised to do so by Michelle Obama herself.
Dungey also canceled the hugely successful reboot of Barr’s eponymous sitcom Roseanne. ABC then brought back Roseanne as the new show The Conners with all the cast members from the reboot except for Barr. That show ran until the spring of 2025.
In her latest comments on Tuesday, Barr pointed out that Kimmel celebrated her firing at the time. She recalled Kimmel “called me a racist even though I said repeatedly, which they repeatedly censored, that it was a mistake. I thought that the woman was a white woman from Iran.”
Barr added that Kimmel “called me a racist even though he himself appeared in blackface on their network many times.”
This was a reference to Kimmel wearing blackface on television numerous times over the year. In one infamous instance, Kimmel wore blackface while impersonating the legendary basketball player Karl Malone.
Barr Predicts Kimmel’s Future
As for what the future holds for Kimmel, Barr predicted, “I think he’ll cheer himself on and his fans, all — what is it? — 2,000 of them. They’ll feel heartened and like they won another battle against Trump and the people of the United States. So it’ll be a big celebration.”
Barr concluded by saying that if Kimmel “had defended me, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”
Whether you’re a fan of Barr’s or not, you can’t deny that there does indeed seem to be a major double standard at play here. In the end, the hypocrisy of the left never ceases to amaze!