Jimmy Kimmel wanted Roseanne Barr behind his desk. Barr wanted no part of it. The comedian revealed that Kimmel recently asked her to fill in as guest host so the two of them could “bridge the divide” for performers who vote differently. The idea, according to Barr, was to show that entertainers from opposite sides of politics can still share a stage.
She said no, and she didn’t sugarcoat it.
“He wanted to stand me up before that lefty crowd of his so they could pick apart every word and boo me because my hair isn’t blue and my nipples aren’t pierced,” the sitcom legend said. “Thanks, Jimmy, but I’m good.”
Barr told the story on her own show, where she regularly talks politics and pop culture with her fans. She said the offer came through a producer, who pitched it as a fun, friendly week that would get people talking.
Barr said she knew exactly what kind of talk it would be.
She figures Kimmel and his side would’ve been replaying her clumsiest moments on loop for ages. Every slip of the tongue, every awkward pause, she said, would have ended up in a montage.
“I’m not letting them pick apart every word,” Barr said. “I know how that works.” “I’ve been on the wrong end of it before.”
That history is no secret. In 2018, ABC, the same network that airs Kimmel’s show, canceled her sitcom reboot just weeks after it became one of the biggest hits on television. Barr has said for years that she was thrown away by people who never liked her politics in the first place.
So when Kimmel came calling with a peace offering, she wasn’t buying it.
“Entertaining people is beyond them, so they mock people instead,” Barr said.
Kimmel has long been one of the most political hosts in late night. His monologues regularly target Republicans, and he has been outspoken in his criticism of President Trump. To Barr, that made the “bridge the divide” pitch ring hollow.
“If he wanted to bridge anything, he could start by not insulting half his audience every night,” she said.
Her fans cheered the decision. Many said she was smart not to walk into an audience that would likely be hostile from the start. Some said they would have watched just to see what happened, but understood why she passed.
Others said Barr should have taken the chance. A few media critics argued that a Roseanne-hosted week could have been a ratings win for both sides and a rare moment of crossover in a divided entertainment world.
Kimmel’s team has not commented on Barr’s remarks.
Barr, for her part, says she’s not losing any sleep over it. “I’ve got my own audience,” she said. “They actually laugh at the jokes.”
