Roseanne Explains Why She's Pro-Trump on Show Reboot

The one thing Roseanne Barr wants from the reboot of her ABC sitcom Roseanne is authenticity, and to be "a true reflection of the society we live in," she told reporters at a Television Critics Association presser on Monday. That's why she says her character, working-class mom Roseanne Conner is (as is Roseanne in real life) a Trump supporter, USA Today reports. "It was working-class people who elected Trump, and that was very real and needed to be discussed," she said. The Hollywood Reporter notes that John Goodman's character, Dan (Roseanne's husband on the show), will also be depicted as a Trump supporter, but it's unclear where the rest of the Conner family will stand when the show debuts on March 27 after being off the air for 21 years, though USA Today notes one of the early episodes features "family members arguing for and against" Trump.

The 65-year-old Barr, who's often caused a stir on Twitter with her political beliefs, noted the "polarization" today within American families, saying that to loathe someone over their vote is "not American." Showrunner Bruce Helford, meanwhile, says that ABC caters mostly to a liberal audience that is higher up the socioeconomic ladder and that showcasing a working-class family's issues "would heal things." Barr insisted she's "not a Trump apologist" in real life and that "he says a lot of crazy s---," though she admitted her kids have taken her Twitter password from her as the show's debut nears. She said she wants to see an end to "hatriotism" in the US and even addresses rumors of an Oprah 2020 run. "I love Oprah like everybody else," she noted, but "I think I'd be a better president than Oprah … probably even President Trump." (More Roseanne Barr stories.)