Roseanne Barr: A Prescription for Redemption

Thomas Madden, CEO, TransMedia GroupI spent years at ABC and NBC television networks putting out fires, managing crises, helping stars stay up in their respective realms after making blunders like Roseanne’s that sent their careers crashing and burning. For her it has reached a point where apologies, words alone, won’t do the trick. There have to be actions.So here’s my prescription for Roseanne:

• Stop taking pills and blaming the pharmaceutical company for what obviously was Roseanne’s own foolish twitter rant that got her hit show pulled and her reputation tumbling.
• Start proving, not just talking, but proving, SHOWING, demonstrating that she’s not a racist. She can do this by apologizing directly to Valerie Jarrett and meeting with black and other minority leaders, listening to them and promising them her full allegiance and support, including financially.
• Immediately go out on a speaking tour addressing organizations representing minorities and supporting measures and policies designed to combat racism in our sometimes sick society.
• Set up a fund to award college scholarships to students who write eloquently about their experiences and encounters with racism, what they felt, what they did and how it helped to shine a fresh new light on the subject.
• Apologize in person to President Trump and other conservative political leaders for dragging his name and party into the ugly mud of discrimination and racism, also to Democrats.
• Declare she will never use Twitter again in such a vile manner and her next tweets will seek to educate and enlighten those with racist tendencies.
• Make a substantial donation to set up a course on the history of racism in America at a major university.
• Be seen and heard speaking out against racism and acknowledging what she has tweeted was wrong and will never happen again as she is now much more sensitized to the impact can be the words of a celebrity.
• While she’s at it, she should condemn those who have used their power in the entertainment world for evil purposes and praise the MeToo movement as it’s time the leaders and celebrities in the entertainment world set a better tone and higher moral standard.
• Vow to repair the damage she has caused to ABC and Disney who rightfully punished her for her racist rant, for which she is not only truly sorry, deeply sorry, but will do things that will hopefully make amends for her mistakes.