For the debut of "The Conners" - the ABC sitcom formerly known as "Roseanne" until its namesake star was chucked for making racist remarks on Twitter - don't expect one potential critic to weigh in.
The usually sharp-tongued Roseanne Barr, whose firing from the show was a drama-filled saga that played out on social media, says she's staying "neutral" about the re-rebooted show and won't be paying much attention, anyway. In an interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on the celebrity rabbi's podcast, the comedian said she'll be in Israel when the spinoff debuts in October.
"I have an opportunity to go to Israel for a few months and study with my favourite teachers over there," she said. "It's my great joy and privilege to be a Jewish woman."
Barr insists that she's not going to put the show on blast (but then again, we're talking about a woman who repeatedly promised to quit Twitter only to return). "I'm not going to curse it or bless it," she said. "I'm staying neutral. That's what I do. I'm staying neutral. I'm staying away from it. Not wishing bad on anyone, and I don't wish good for my enemies."
The Twitter rant that got Barr fired included a comparison of top Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape. Barr offered various excuses - including that she was under the influence of Ambien - and although she apologized, network brass fired her in May.
Barr updated Boteach, on whose podcast she has appeared previously, on what she's been up to since the controversy (other than planning her overseas move). She's cut a record in Nashville, and she's working on an unspecified new sitcom project, she said.
And she also offered another reason for her planned move: "I'm leaving California, because I'm sure it's going to fall into the sea soon."