Many viewers across the country – including the president himself –celebrated the "Roseanne" reboot on ABC this week. But fans of Roseanne Barr, like Trump, who have publicly condemned Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem, seem to have forgotten that Barr butchered the national anthem 28 years ago… and grabbed her crotch afterwards.
On July 25 1990, Barr shrieked the national anthem, while occasionally laughing throughout, at San Diego's Jack Murphy Stadium. The actress was met with boos from the crowd, in which she responded by grabbing her crotch and spitting on the ground.
The comedian's performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" garnered a lot of press and criticism at the time, with a then President George H.W. Bush calling it "disgraceful."
But while Barr faced public backlash, her original sitcom series "Roseanne" aired for seven more years after her national anthem debacle, until its finale in 1997. What's more, fans have widely celebrated the reboot, with the first episode reportedly pulling in 17.7 million people, according to Vanity Fair.
Kaepernick did not screech the national anthem nor grab his crotch right afterwards. He kneeled during the national anthem in protest of the very real racial injustice and police violence impacting black people. Yet, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has remained unsigned since he became a free agent last year.
It is AMAZING to me how many of my people conveniently forget how brutally disrespectful Rosanne was to our beloved national anthem but still run their mouths about Colin Kap. pic.twitter.com/wQKz4zMW3T
— Jaime Primak (@JaimePrimak) March 30, 2018
Roseanne Barr grabbed her crotch while singing the National Anthem. Trump and the Republicans love her.
Kaepernick takes a knee in the name of justice. Trump attacks him and the GOP continues to go after his livelihood.
It’s called RACISM. pic.twitter.com/jye4plHCTh
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) March 30, 2018
While many speculate that Kaepnernick is still without a job in the NFL due to his activism, Trump boasted about "Roseanne" ratings this week during a speech in Ohio that was supposed to center on infrastructure plans. In fact, the president called Barr to congratulate her on the premiere of the show’s reboot.
For Kaepernick’s protest, and other NFL players kneeling in solidarity, Trump once referred to them as sons of b*****s during a speech in September 2017. He also published a series of Tweets demanding that if NFL players “disrespect” the flag by kneeling, they should be “fired.”
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect….— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
…our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 23, 2017
Apparently, Trump doesn’t consider Barr’s crotch-grabbing-shrieking performance of the national anthem disrespectful.
