Tim Allen Speaks Out About Roseanne’s Firing: ‘Who Makes Up These Rules?’

Allen also had his show cancelled by ABC, a move speculated by some to be fueled in part by Allen’s conservative views.

Roseanne Barr attends live podcast at Stand Up NY on July 26, 2018 in New York City as her first public appearance since she was fired from her ABC show. (James Devaney/Getty Images)
Roseanne Barr attends live podcast at Stand Up NY on July 26, 2018 in New York City as her first public appearance since she was fired from her ABC show. (James Devaney/Getty Images)
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Conservative actor Tim Allen says that Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett doesn’t reflect the person he knows — and says ABC “had to do what they had to do and it’s their decision.”

“I go way back with Rosie and that’s not the Rosie I know,” Allen said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “She was the most diverse and tolerant woman I’ve ever known for a long time. Whatever got in her head isn’t the Roseanne I know. It’s a very icy time. I’ve been a comedian for 38 years and I’ve never seen it, like Lenny Bruce said at the Purple Onion, ‘We’ve gone backwards.’ There are things you can’t say. There are things you shouldn’t say. Who makes up these rules? And as a stand-up comic, it’s a dangerous position to be in because I like pushing buttons. It’s unfortunate.”

Allen reportedly weighed in about Barr’s firing on Thursday at the Television Critics Association’s press tour following a panel with Kevin Abbott, the show runner for Allen’s cancelled show Last Man Standing. They’re reportedly promoting Fox’s revival of the comedy series.

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