Donald Trump Personally Called Roseanne Barr To Congratulate Her On Revival Ratings Success
President Donald Trump has given his personal approval to star Roseanne Barr for the Roseanne reboot.
A Meeting Of Minds
Barr received a phone call direct from Trump on Wednesday, to congratulate her on the high ratings of the rebooted comedy series. The show has returned after 20 years since the time Roseanne was last on TV.
Also, he thanked her for her unwavering support of his presidency. Both Barr and the titular character are vocal Trump supporters.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary, confirmed that Trump did make the call. Trump is known for being obsessive about performance ratings of the TV shows as he once had his own reality show, The Apprentice.
According to a source, he is reportedly extremely interested in the high ratings that Roseanne revival has received.
The first episode of the reboot, aired on ABC Tuesday evening, averaged around 18.2 million viewers and a 5.1 rating in its key demographic. It was the highest-rated sitcom broadcast in over three years.
Different Times
The original show featured a working-class family of five along with assorted relatives who were added to the mix.
After being off the air for two decades, Roseanne was thrust into unfamiliar territory. Nevertheless, Barr, a proud Trump supporter, ensured the titular character was much the same.
Her onscreen sister, Jackie Harris, played by Lady Bird actress Laurie Metcalf, supported Hillary Clinton but ended up voting for Jill Stein.
Speaking For The American People
On the decision to turn Roseanne Conner into a Trump supporter, Barr explained that she felt it was an accurate depiction of the political preference of many working-class American people.
"I just wanted to have that dialogue about families torn apart by the election and their political differences of opinion and how we handle it. I thought that this was an important thing to say at this time," she said.
Conner's character previously showed support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage, the two platforms that Trump vehemently opposed. Barr, however, doesn't see it this way.
The actress feels Trump makes his points well and doesn't believe that he's anti-gay marriage.
"He has said it several times, you know, that he's not homophobic at all," she said.
Private Screening
Barr previously said she would love to screen Roseanne at the White House privately with Trump. She hopes the U.S. President would have good snacks to munch while watching, which sounds funny considering his penchant for putting ketchup on well-done steak or mainlining McDonald's.
Meanwhile, Barr's co-stars aren't too impressed with the idea, however. Actress Sarah Chalke suggested she could watch it from outside the property. Sarah Gilbert deadpanned that she doubts the opportunity would be given in the first place.
