(TODAY)– Roseanne Barr returned to Twitter just hours after saying she planned to leave the platform to fire back at her critics and apologize to the staff and cast members who were laid off because of a racist tweet that led ABC to cancel her hit sitcom revival.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, guys!! Today my words caused hundreds of hardworking people to lose their jobs,” Barr wrote in a tweet, one in a series of posts Tuesday night.
Barr also blamed her offending tweet on a popular sleeping pill.
“Guys I did something unforgiveable so do not defend me," she wrote in another post. "It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting–it was memorial day too–I went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but…don’t defend it please."
Both posts, which Barr later deleted, were part of her response to the backlash over her since-scrubbed tweet calling Valerie Jarrett, a top aide in the Obama administration, the offspring of the "Muslim Brotherhood & ‘Planet of the Apes.’"
Barr, 65, also issued a formal apology statement in which she expressed deep regret and apologized to Jarrett, ABC, and the cast and crew of her show.
“I am sorry for making a thoughtless joke that does not reflect my values — I love all people and am very sorry. Today my words caused hundreds of hardworking people to lose their jobs," she said. "I also sincerely apologize to the audience that has embraced my work for decades. I apologize from the bottom of my heart and hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me."
But the actress continued to retweet people who defended her remarks and offered her support.
Jarrett addressed the controversy during an MSNBC town hall on racism that had already been scheduled Tuesday night.
“First of all, I think we have to turn it into a teaching moment," she said. "I’m fine. I’m worried about all the people out there who don’t have a circle of friends and followers who come right to their defense."
While Barr is notorious for making controversial statements including those defending President Trump, her comment about Jarrett created a backlash that prompted ABC President Channing Dungey to speak out and call Barr’s tweet “repugnant.” The network then announced it was cancelling her top-rated sitcom.
