Roseanne Barr on Tuesday (May 29) attacked former President Obama White House adviser Valerie Jarrett in a since-deleted tweet alleging connections to the Muslim Brotherhood that is being called racist by many.
In the tweet, the ABC star of her self-titled show attacked Jarrett, connecting her to the Islamist organization Muslim Brotherhood and the movie Planet of the Apes.
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“Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” Barr wrote, using Jarrett’s initials while replying to a tweet which accused Jarrett of helping to cover up alleged misdeeds for the Obama administration.
When users pointed out that the tweet seemed racist, Barr replied, “Muslims r NOT a race.”
Barr, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, later tweeted her first tweet was “a joke.” Then, not long after that tweet, Barr issued an apology post: “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.”
Barr also said she is leaving Twitter. A number of celebrities and politicians blasted Barr for the comment and demanded action from ABC.
“The comparison by Rosanne Barr on ABC of Former Obama aide, Valerie Jarrett to an APE is racist and inexcusable. ABC must take action NOW!,” Rev. Al Sharpton tweeted.
“I am repulsed that Valerie Jarret had that racist and bigoted ‘joke’ made at her expense and I am sickened that any Black or Muslim person has to keep hearing this sickness in 2018,” Patricia Arquette tweeted.
“Hey @ABC, Roseanne Barr compared Valerie Jarrett to an ape. There is no apology she can make that justifies @ABC turning a blind eye to this bigotry by airing another second of her show. Even in the Age of Trump, there are red lines that can never be crossed. This is one,” Joe Scarborough tweeted.
The show’s head writer, Wanda Sykes, said on Tuesday she would not be returning for the second season after Barr’s tweet.
Reps for ABC have not yet replied to The Hollywood Reporter‘s request for comment.
This article originally appeared on THR.