Fox Gives Roseanne Barr’s Comedy Comeback Special ‘Cancel This!’ an NFL Boost (Exclusive)

Roseanne Barr’s return to stand-up comedy is getting a boost from Sunday’s NFL NFC championship game.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Fox will use today’s NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Philadelphia Eagles to launch a marketing campaign for Barr’s comedy comeback effort, which will be called Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!

The 15-second ad sees Barr stepping up to the microphone onstage, before asking the crowd, “Has anybody else been fired recently?”

Cancel This! will debut on the Fox Nation streaming service Feb. 13, and will be Barr’s first comedy special since Blonde and Bitchin’, aired on HBO in 2006. The new special was taped in front of a live audience at Houston’s Cullen Theatre, and the streaming service will release a special called Who Is Roseanne Barr? in conjunction with the project.

Fox Nation announced the special last fall, effectively kicking off a notable investment in comedy programming, beyond what the Fox News super-fan service had hosted previously.

In fact, the service has recently been leaning into talent that would be recognizable to general entertainment fans. In addition to the Barr special, Fox Nation has hosted a docuseries about Yellowstone National Park hosted by Yellowstone star Kevin Costner, while Frasier star Kelsey Grammer has fronted a series on historic battles.

But it’s Barr who is getting the NFL promotional treatment, a significant stage for the comedy special.

In the 1980s and 1990s Barr was one of Hollywood’s most prolific stand-up comics and actors. Her sitcom Roseanne ran for nine seasons in its initial run, and was revived in 2018, becoming a breakout for ABC. However, the network canceled the series after she sent a tweet about Obama aide Valerie Jarrett that was widely seen as racist. ABC brought back the show as The Conners, without Barr.

Watch the teaser trailer for Cancel This! set to air during Sunday’s NFL game, here.