The maker of the sleep aid Ambien is calling out Roseanne Barr, after she blamed the drug for a racist tweet that resulted in the cancellation of her hit show.
On Tuesday, Barr sent out an offensive tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to former U.S. President Barack Obama.
She was widely condemned on social media, including from people who worked with her on “Roseanne.”
Roseanne’s recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least.
— sara gilbert (@THEsaragilbert) May 29, 2018
I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable.
— Emma Kenney (@EmmaRoseKenney) May 29, 2018
I will not be returning to @RoseanneOnABC.
— Wanda Sykes (@iamwandasykes) May 29, 2018
Later that day, ABC announced it was cancelling the reboot of the sitcom.
Barr apologized on Twitter and urged supporters not to defend her.
She said of the Jarrett tweet, “It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting.”
On Wednesday, the drug-maker took to social media to say racism is not a known side effect of Ambien.
People of all races, religions and nationalities work at Sanofi every day to improve the lives of people around the world. While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.
— Sanofi US (@SanofiUS) May 30, 2018
Meanwhile Jarret has said she was “fine” after the tweet and hoped the incident could become a teaching moment.
