Entertainment

Tim Allen Finally Weighs In On Roseanne Being Fired: ‘It’s A Very Icy Time’

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing” is about to receive the same reboot treatment on Fox that Roseanne Barr’s show “Roseanne” recently received on ABC — and Allen has finally weighed in on Barr’s recent firing over her controversial tweet.

Allen told Entertainment Weekly at the Television Critics Association’s press tour that ABC “had to do what they had to do, and it’s their decision,” but he noted when Barr’s tweets were first published that they were not indicative of “the Rosie I knew.”

“I go way back with Rosie, and that’s not the Rosie I know. 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’s “Last Man Standing,” much like the recently canceled “Roseanne” reboot, features a family that is often divided over political views. And according to showrunner Kevin Abbott, the Baxter family is about to face a little more political upset as they welcome an exchange student from China: “Mike Baxter will try to promote the American way.”

In spite of the politics, Abbott says, the show is ultimately successful because it’s really about family. “You’re allowed to dissent or disagree in this family … and they stay together no matter what.”

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