Disgraced TV star Roseanne Barr has gone into meltdown a day after her sitcom was axed over her racist tweets with another barrage of strange posts.
Despite repeatedly apologising and telling fans not to defend her, she continued to retweet their supportive messages, prompting some to doubt her sincerity.
"It was sincere, but there's just a limit of bullying I'm going to remain silent for. go away," she tweeted on Wednesday morning local time, telling another critic, "I've been punished enough and have my own story to tell."
Responding to a photo someone shared of her dressed as Hitler, the disgraced actor wrote, "I'm a Jew, bigot."
thanks for supporting me! I gave them the weapon to kill me-I was not equipped to take all the heat. I cracked & made a stupid insensitive joke-it's my fault.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
cuz i've been punished enough and have my own story to tell
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
no, i didnt i blamed myself. stop lying. Yes, I have had odd ambien experiences on tweeting late at night-like many other ppl do. I BLAME MYSELF OK? it's just an explanation not an excuse, Ok, bully?
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
I'm a Jew, bigot
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
im no longer green, genius
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
i blamed myself, genius
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
Barr told one supporter: "I gave them the weapon to kill me — I was not equipped to take all the heat. I cracked & made a stupid insensitive joke — it's my fault."
She even retweeted a Charlie Sheen post that read "adios Roseanne!" and said the runway was now clear for a reboot of his sitcom, Two And A Half Men.
The actress's rebooted hit TV show was abruptly axed by US network ABC after she compared a black former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett to an ape, writing that if the Islamist political movement "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby = vj."
Donald Trump has now weighed in on the drama, asking why the ABC had apologised to Jarrett but not to him for "HORRIBLE statements" made about him on the network.
Barr earlier said she "felt bad" for the US President because "he goes thru this every single day."
Bob Iger of ABC called Valerie Jarrett to let her know that “ABC does not tolerate comments like those” made by Roseanne Barr. Gee, he never called President Donald J. Trump to apologize for the HORRIBLE statements made and said about me on ABC. Maybe I just didn’t get the call?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2018
adios
— Charlie Sheen (@charliesheen) May 29, 2018
Roseanne!
good
riddance.
hashtag
NOT Winning.
the
runway is
now clear
for
OUR reboot.
©#CharlieHarperReturns pic.twitter.com/HcqMvIoxCM
Barr then clumsily apologised, saying she was "not racist, just an idiot who made a bad joke."
Despite initially saying she was leaving Twitter, she then backtracked and became more vocal than ever, taking shots at two cast members who called her out for her "abhorrent" rant.
In a series of tweets unleashed hours after she was fired, Barr said she did something "unforgivable", "egregious" and "indefensible" and admitted she "went too far".
She said her original comments were a result of "Ambien tweeting" — a reference to the sleeping pill.
When she was called out for making excuses, she answered: "No, i didnt i blamed myself. stop lying. Yes, I have had odd ambien experiences on tweeting late at night-like many other ppl do. I BLAME MYSELF OK? it's just an explanation not an excuse, Ok, bully?"
Sara Gilbert, who plays her on-screen daughter, tweeted: "Roseanne's recent comments ... and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least."
Barr replied simply: "Wow! unreal."
She later told a fan: "I understand her position and why she said what she said. i forgive her. It just shocked me a bit, but I indeed f***ed up."
Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.
— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018
She's distancing herself from me and my tweet-she has to.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
She also took aim at Michael Fishman, who has played her on-screen son since the show's start in 1988.
Fishman wrote: "Today is one of the hardest days of my life. I feel devastated, not for the end of the Roseanne show, but for all those who poured their hearts and souls into our jobs, and the audience who welcomed us into their homes.
"Our cast, crew, writers, and production staff strives for inclusiveness, with numerous storylines designed to reflect inclusiveness."
Barr took exception to that. "I created the platform for that inclusivity and you know it. ME. You throw me under the bus. Nice!" she tweeted.
i created the platform for that inclusivity and you know https://t.co/hViHPX2ZUb. You throw me under the bus. nice!
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
The comedian declared she wasn't a racist, and tweeted at Jarrett directly to apologise for "hurting and upsetting u with an insensitive & tasteless tweet".
"I am truly sorry — my whole life has been about fighting racism," her tweet to Jarrett continued. "I made a terrible mistake which caused hundreds of ppl 2 lose their jobs. so sorry!"
While apologising repeatedly, Barr's choice of retweets from supporters justifying her original, racist message struck a defiant tone — they included a post that juxtaposed an image of Jarrett with an image of a Planet of the Apes actor and another that said she didn't know the Obama staffer was black.
i'm not a racist, just an idiot who made a bad joke. thank you for defending me tho-
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) May 30, 2018
She appeared to justify that move by tweeting that, while she was sorry for the joke that started it all, she would continue to defend herself.
She also suggested that US network ABC axed the show because of a "threatened boycott" from the show's advertisers by "ppl who do that sort of thing".
Critics leapt upon that declaration with swift replies, including: "I heard it was because your actions had consequences. Put your big girl pants on and take responsibility."
"I heard it was because you can't keep your racist typing hands off of social media," another added.
The Kiwi actor has been part of the Star Wars universe for more than 20 years.