Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom Roseanne (1988–1997; 2018). She won an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her work on the show.
Barr became a stand-up comedian in 1980. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she gained fame through her role in Roseanne and other performances. Barr sparked controversy when performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a nationally aired baseball game on July 25, 1990. After singing the anthem in what many perceived to be a deliberately disrespectful manner, Barr grabbed her groin and spat. This performance was met with condemnation from baseball fans and sportswriters, and was called "disgraceful" by then-President George H. W. Bush.
Barr has been active and outspoken on political issues. She won nearly 70,000 votes for president in the general election of 2012, as the presidential nominee of the left-wing Peace and Freedom Party. After Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president in 2015, Kelly Weill of The Daily Beast wrote that Barr "veered right" in her politics. After Roseanne was revived, Trump called her to congratulate her on her show's ratings and thank her for her support. She has frequently defended her support of Trump, and has been criticized for making personal attacks and promoting conspiracy theories and fake news.
Roseanne was revived in 2018 on ABC. A ratings success, it was renewed for an additional season, but was canceled after Barr made a controversial tweet condemned as racist by many commentators. Barr referred to the tweet as a "bad joke".
Last Updated: June 9, 2021
