Oscar-winning actress Mo’Nique went to bat for Roseanne Barr this week, urging folks not to give up on the embattled comedienne in the wake of her racist tweet.
Mo’nique’s comments came during an interview on KTLA’s Morning News on Friday, where she recalled the support she received from Barr early in her career when others refused to help her.
“I remember when I had the ‘Mo’Nique Show,’ and there was big, major Black superstar talent that had white representatives and they told their talent, …’That show is too Black and we really don’t want you to go on there,'” she told reporter Sam Rubin. ”
“But there was a white woman named Roseanne Barr that showed up for me,” she added. “…And they didn’t hear the conversation when the cameras weren’t rolling. … That woman was giving me some beautiful words.”
Mo’Nique, who’s faced her own struggles in Hollywood, called Barr her “sister in comedy” and said the controversial tweet that led to her show being cancelled was just a mistake.
“My sister made a mistake and she said something I know she wishes she could take back,” Mo’Nique said, adding that she wouldn’t put Barr on “the racist list.” “But what I would ask is we don’t throw her away.”
Barr’s namesake show was canceled almost immediately after the actress posted an outwardly racist tweet attacking former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. Barr has issued several backhanded apologies since the controversy unfolded and begged ABC not to punish the entire show’s cast for her mistake.
The actress set the Internet abuzz last week with the emergence of a disturbing video of her shouting, “I thought the b—h was white!” in reference to her tweet about Jarrett. Her recent antics have done little to smooth things over. Last week, the network confirmed a ” “Roseanne” spin-off excluding Barr called “The Connors” will air this fall.
Watch more in the video below.
