Roseanne Barr says the offensive tweet which led to the cancellation of her show was simply a "misunderstanding".
The 65-year-old comedian was sacked by ABC in May after she likened Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama, to an ape, but during a tearful interview with Sean Hannity on his Fox News show, Roseanne has once again insisted her tweet wasn’t intentionally racist.
She said: "I hope you’ll try to understand me and accept my apologies for my part in this big misunderstanding."
During the hour-long interview, Roseanne reiterated her regret and insisted that rather than being deliberately racist, her tweet was just poorly worded.
She explained: "It cost me everything. I wish I worded it better."
Asked what she would say to Jarrett if she was given the opportunity, Roseanne said: "I’m sorry that you feel harm and hurt, I never meant that. I never meant to hurt anybody."
Roseanne’s tweet was widely criticised online and ABC acted swiftly in cancelling her popular sitcom.
Reflecting on the situation, the actress admitted to being hurt by the reaction, both as an "artist" and as a "citizen".
She confessed: "I am a creative genius, and this is not a good feeling for an artist to be treated this way, and it’s not a good feeling for a citizen, either."
Despite this, Roseanne has insisted she’s entitled to her own opinions and that the racism storm hasn’t led her to reevaluate her political position.
She shared: "I’m not a racist and the people who voted for Trump, they’re not racist either, and Trump isn’t a racist, sorry. We just have a different opinion."
Meanwhile, the outspoken star added that although she could have fought ABC over her firing, she decided against it because she didn’t want anyone to lose their jobs.
Under the terms of her contract, Roseanne claimed she was allowed to correct any misstatements she made within 24 hours – but she wasn’t given the opportunity.
Since she was axed, ABC has announced plans to make a ‘Roseanne’ spin-off called ‘The Conners’, which will star the likes of John Goodman and Sara Gilbert.
Roseanne Barr says her controversial tweet was a ‘misunderstanding’
