Roseanne Barr thinks ABC will be "lucky" if ‘The Conners’ is "anywhere near" as successful as ‘Roseanne’.
The American television network is set to air a spin-off of the 65-year-old comedian’s eponymously titled sitcom, after they were forced to axe the main show when Roseanne made racist comments on Twitter toward Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama.
But Roseanne has insisted it was her presence on the show that "kicked everybody’s a** in the ratings", and she doesn’t think ‘The Conners’ will be as successful without her.
Speaking to Sean Hannity for his Fox News show, she said: "I’d tell more jokes about myself than I do anybody else, because to me, comedy is very personal, and that’s what makes it funny. That’s what made people like the ‘Roseanne’ show – because they saw themselves in [me], or have an aunt, or their mom or their sister, somebody in their family was, you know, a loud, outspoken woman who loved her family.
"That was what I brought to television and what kicked everybody’s a** in the ratings. [ABC] should be so lucky that they’ll ever get anywhere near that. And they can’t take that away from me, no matter what’s happened."
Earlier this week, ABC revealed ‘The Conners’ would be premiering on October 16, with filming beginning in September.
The company announced the spin-off last month, when a synopsis for the show suggested Roseanne’s character could be killed off.
It read: "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 fights, the coupon cutting, the hand-me-downs, the breakdowns – with love, humor and perseverance, the family prevails."
Roseanne Barr: ABC will be lucky if The Conners is a hit
