Wish I worded it better: Roseanne Barr on racist tweet

Actress-comedian Roseanne Barr says her racist tweet "cost her everything" and she wishes she had worded it "better".

Barr has apologised to people for her tweet about former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman. The comment had generated immense backlash and led to the cancellation of her US comedy show "Roseanne".

During her hour-long interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on Thursday, Barr lamented the damage done to her by the tweet, reports The Guardian.

In response to the tweet "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby vj" that she has written earlier this year, Barr clarified that people misunderstood it and said she would tell Jarett: "I'm sorry that you feel harm and hurt, I never meant that. I never meant to hurt anybody."

Barr repeatedly said her tweet was meant to address US-Middle Eastern policy and had no racial overtones. She said she was stunned by the negative reaction, which Hannity noted was nearly universal, The Guardian reported.

"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," Barr added.

A supporter of US President Donald Trump, Barr further said: "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."

Television network ABC has announced "Roseanne" will return in October as a spin-off called "The Conners" with all the main characters except Barr.

--IANS

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