Sara Gilbert spoke out publicly for the first time Monday since ABC canceled “Roseanne” last week, saying she stands by the network’s decision to do so.
Gilbert played Darlene on “Roseanne” for 10 seasons and was the executive producer of this year’s reboot of the show. She addressed the show’s cancellation, as well as co-star Roseanne Barr’s controversial tweets, Monday on CBS’s “The Talk,” which she has co-hosted since 2010.
“This has been a very difficult week,” Gilbert said. “A lot of people have been hurt by this. I will say I’m proud of the show we made. The show has always been about diversity, love and inclusion, and it’s sad to see it end in this way.”
“I’m sad for the people who lost their jobs in the process,” she continued. “However, I do stand behind the decision that ABC made.”
ABC announced it was canceling “Roseanne” last week hours after the show’s star, Roseanne Barr, compared former Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
Barr has a history of tweeting offensive comments and peddling conspiracy theories. She apologized Tuesday for her comments about Jarrett and has been noticeably silent on Twitter since Thursday.
Hours before news broke of the show’s cancellation, Gilbert tweeted Tuesday that Barr’s comments were “abhorrent.”
Rumors have swirled that ABC could be considering a “Roseanne” spinoff without Barr and centered on Gilbert’s character, though the network has not officially confirmed this.
CORRECTION: “The Talk” runs on CBS ― not ABC, as the story previously said.