Roseanne Barr Says America Is ‘Lucky’ to Have This President

It will be interesting to see how the world reacts to “Roseanne” when the beloved sitcom returns to the small screen on March 27.

Roseanne Barr’s show is already pushing the envelope through its announcements that a central character will be brought back from the dead — and that there will be a transgender child character.

The point that’s been discussed the most, however, is this: Barr has announced her character will be a Trump supporter. While other Hollywood writers would use such a detail as a way to push an obvious agenda or poke fun at people they don’t understand, Barr is a Trump supporter herself. And she sees the plot decision as a way of being realistic about America’s heartland.

“He [Trump] talked about jobs. That’s what you need to do if you want working people to vote for you. Not Syrian airspace,” Barr said in a preview clip of an upcoming interview on “20/20.” “I don’t think Hillary [Clinton] talked about jobs much. She was always just talking about Syrian airspace. Do you think people in America care? Maybe they do. I didn’t, though.”

Barr also said the country was “lucky” to have Donald J. Trump as president.

“Trump offended half of America and she [Hillary Clinton] offended the other half, so that’s great for sitcoms,” she said. “It’s great for comedy. We’re lucky to have him as a president. It’s great for comedy.”

Barr had previously announced her decision to make her character a Trump supporter at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in January.

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“I have always … attempted to [deliver] a realistic portrait of the American people and working-class people. And, in fact, it was working-class people that elected Trump, so I felt that was very real and something that needed to be discussed,” she told the press at the time.

Barr is correct in her creative decision. It keeps her show authentic. “Roseanne” was always a program about working-class Americans, and much of this country’s blue-collar citizens voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton. While many in Hollywood will continue to try to dehumanize those who voted for Trump, it’s good to see people like Barr refusing to grab the low-hanging fruit in their storytelling.

The decision to be honest, however, will likely go one of two ways when her show premieres next month.

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This could end up being incredibly healing for the culture. That’s the first possible outcome. If people are able to watch with an open mind, “Roseanne” could help humanize Trump voters in the minds of those who are still caught up in hysteria about his election and only see red when his name is brought up.

That, however, is wishful thinking, to say the least. Many leftist artists and critics will likely use the Trump detail of Barr’s show as a way to dismiss it almost instantly.

There is nothing else like it on television — and Hollywood’s content right now is in serious need of some right-of-center voices.

Let’s hope the sitcom doesn’t meet the same fate as Tim Allen’s “Last Man Standing,” a right-leaning sitcom that was axed despite its stellar ratings.

“Roseanne” is premiering on the same network as “Last Man Standing,” interestingly. So tune into this one when it premieres. It’s worth supporting because there is nothing else like it on television — and Hollywood’s content right now is in serious need of some right-of-center voices.

PopZette editor Zachary Leeman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter.