Roseanne Barr on Tuesday took to Twitter to weigh in on Hollywood’s support for Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who was fired last week by Disney’s Marvel for controversial tweets that recently resurfaced.
“I’m disgusted to read all of the support for James Gunn’s pedophile jokes-as the same people supported blacklisting me for a joke they didn’t even understand,” the actress wrote.
I’m disgusted to read all of the support for James Gunn’s pedophile jokes-as the same people supported blacklisting me for a joke they didn’t even understand.
— Roseanne Barr (@therealroseanne) July 24, 2018
On Friday, Gunn was terminated by Walt Disney Studios after conservative personalities resurfaced old tweets in which the filmmaker joked about controversial topics such as pedophilia and rape.
Back in May, Barr — an avowed Donald Trump supporter — posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett in which she compared the black former Barack Obama aide to an “ape.” Her remark was met with swift action from ABC: Though Barr’s Roseanne reboot had outstanding ratings, the network canceled it after just one season.
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While many notable names in the entertainment industry — including several members of the Roseanne cast — publicly denounced Barr after her controversial tweets, a handful of A-listers have come to Gunn’s defense in the wake of his Twitter turmoil. Guardians actors Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Chris Pratt are just some of the stars who have expressed their support.
“I will have more to say but for right now all I will say is this..@JamesGunn is one of the most loving,caring,good natured people I have ever met,” Bautista, who plays Drax in the series, wrote. “He’s gentle and kind and cares deeply for people and animals. He’s made mistakes. We all have. Im NOT ok with what’s happening to him.”
Saldana, who plays Gamora, added, “It’s been a challenging weekend I’m not gonna lie. I’m pausing myself to take everything in before I speak out of term. I just want everyone to know I love ALL members of my GOTG family. Always will.”
Pratt, who plays Star-Lord, seemingly addressed the situation by sharing a telling Bible verse. “‘Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.’ JAMES 1:19,” he posted.
Gunn’s offensive tweets, which were posted in 2008 and 2009, made headlines after conservative website The Daily Caller published an article about them last week. Gunn on Friday afternoon issued a statement admitting that he “regretted” what he wrote and emphasized that the tweets “don’t reflect the person I am today.”
“My words of nearly a decade ago were, at the time, totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative,” his statement read in part. “I have regretted them for many years since — not just because they were stupid, not at all funny, wildly insensitive, and certainly not provocative like I had hoped, but also because they don’t reflect the person I am today or have been for some time.”
Though Gunn’s good friend Selma Blair is currently campaigning for Disney to rehire Gunn, the studio previously explained its decision to part ways in a statement from chairman Alan Horn: “The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James’ Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values, and we have severed our business relationship with him.”
