Ben Sherwood Apologizes to ‘Roseanne’s’ Now-Unemployed Staff in ABC Company Memo

Ben Sherwood on Wednesday joined Disney boss Bob Iger and ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey in addressing the demise of Roseanne. The Disney-ABC Television Group topper sent a memo to staff, reinforcing previous comments about star Roseanne Barr’s remarks and also apologizing to her staff.

“We’re so sorry they were swept up in all of this and we give thanks to their remarkable talents, wish them well and hope to find another way to work together down the road,” wrote Sherwood in an email titled “Our Values.”

Those values of “inclusion, tolerance and civility” are what drove ABC to quickly pull the plug on the second season of Roseanne after Barr’s racist Twitter comment about former Obama aide and family friend Valerie Jarrett.

Read the full memo, below.

From: Ben Sherwood
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2018 11:09 AM
Subject: Our Values

Team:

Much has been said and written about yesterday’s decision to cancel the Roseanne show. In the end, it came down to doing what’s right and upholding our values of inclusion, tolerance, and civility.

Not enough, however, has been said about the many men and women who poured their hearts and lives into the show and were just getting started on next season. We’re so sorry they were swept up in all of this and we give thanks for their remarkable talents, wish them well, and hope to find another way to work together down the road.

The last 24 hours have also been a powerful reminder of the importance of words in everything we do – online and on the air. And the responsibility of using social media – and all of our programs and platforms – with careful thought, decency and consideration.

Today we move forward, together, full speed.

Ben