What was the exact wording of Roseanne Barr's tweet about Valerie Jarrett?

1. How the tweet has been quoted and preserved — the wording that stuck

Contemporary reporting and later retrospectives converge on a single textual reproduction of the tweet: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” Several outlets reproduced that exact string when summarizing the social‑media artifact, noting that Barr had quote‑tweeted or shared a meme with that caption before deleting it ^{[1] [3] [4]}. The lower‑case styling and the equals sign before “vj” appear consistently in multiple citations, indicating that the quoted wording circulating in news coverage reflects the original post as archived in screenshots and reports. Tabloid summaries and mainstream outlets alike used the same phrase when describing the content that prompted the controversy, which strengthens the claim that this was the precise wording that circulated.

2. Immediate fallout: perception, response, and ABC’s decision

News coverage from 2018 documents the rapid escalation after the tweet, with critics calling it a racialized comparison and ABC moving to cancel Barr’s sitcom within hours. Reports cited that Barr’s message likened Valerie Jarrett to an ape and invoked the “Muslim Brotherhood,” framing the post as both racially and politically inflammatory ^{[5] [6]}. Barr issued an apology and later offered explanations that ranged from blaming poor wording to invoking other intentions, while ABC cited the tweet’s content as inconsistent with the network’s standards when it terminated her show. These contemporaneous accounts present a consistent causal chain: the specific tweet’s wording produced public outrage and direct professional consequences ^{[8] [6]}.

3. Valerie Jarrett’s reaction and how the target framed the incident

Valerie Jarrett publicly downplayed the personal affront in some statements, offering a measured response that reframed attention toward policy issues such as family separations and school safety rather than prolonged focus on Barr’s remark. Coverage noted Jarrett’s quip “Roseanne who?” as a way to avoid amplifying the incident, while also characterizing the tweet as a clear racialized attack on a public figure ^{[9] [4]}. The reporting captures two dynamics: Jarrett’s attempt to deflect attention from the insult and the broader journalistic consensus that the tweet was read as racially demeaning, which informed the public and corporate reaction.

4. Variations in coverage and potential agendas behind different retellings

Tabloid outlets and entertainment sites emphasized sensational elements—imagery, shock value, and quotable lines—while mainstream news outlets focused on corporate responsibility and the social implications of public‑figure speech. Some pieces foregrounded Barr’s claim that she meant to criticize policy rather than race, presenting her later explanations and apologies; other sources highlighted the racist connotation and corporate fallout. The divergence in emphasis reflects distinct agendas: tabloids seek traffic through incendiary detail, while established outlets prioritized context about consequences and the tweet’s societal meaning ^{[2] [7] [6]}.

5. What remains undisputed and what still deserves caution

Across the sources examined, the exact quoted wording of the tweet is consistent and uncontested in public reporting: “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” The immediate deletion of the post and the availability of screenshots explain why later reporting relies on reproduced text rather than a live tweet. Caution is warranted when interpreting Barr’s later statements about intent; while she offered apologies or alternative explanations, those do not alter the contemporaneous text or the uniformly recorded corporate and public reaction that followed ^{[1] [6] [4]}. The textual fact is settled in the record; interpretations of motive and proportionality remain matters of commentary and institutional judgment.