Suzanne Somers Says ABC ‘Lost Big’ When It Fired Roseanne Barr

[TMC]

https://www.thewrap.com/suzanne-some...roseanne-barr/

Former “Three’s Company” star Suzanne Somers said in a new interview that her former network ABC “lost big” by firing Roseanne Barr from its hit sitcom revival.

“The anti-Trumps won in this case, but really I think the network lost big,” Somers told Yahoo, pointing to the steep ratings decline for the Barr-less spinoff “The Conners” this fall.

Barr was ousted in May after posting a racist tweet about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett. The network swiftly cut ties with the actress and comedian, dropping her from its hit “Roseanne” revival despite the show’s massive success.

“Roseanne is extremely unique, and she’s fearless,” said Somers. “[She] took a point of view that’s very unpopular right now, so she hit the eye of the storm… with the 50 percent of the country who is pro-Trump and 50 percent who is not.”

As noted by Yahoo, Somers was herself fired by ABC nearly 40 years ago when she asked for parity with her “Three’s Company” co-star John Ritter. During contract negotiations for the show’s fifth season, the actress asked for a raise from $30,000 per episode to match Ritter’s rate of $150,000 per episode.

Somers was then informed that she had instead been fired from the sitcom, on which she had been a central cast member for four years. The actress said she was told at the time, “You’re out, they’re making an example out of you.”

“I was fired from the No. 1 show at the height of my success, and I couldn’t get a job in television,” she said. “I couldn’t get an interview, I was considered trouble.”

[JackJanetChrissy]

Suzanne needs to stop answering the phone when people call for an interview. I can't believe she's still complaining about Three's Company or how unfair the world and/or the industry is after 40 years. So willing to juice her sour grapes at a moment's notice. And of all the people ever on the show, she's now by far the richest!

I love the character of Chrissy and have always admired Suzanne's never-say-die spirit, but anymore Suzanne in real life has become insufferable.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

Suzanne needs to stop answering the phone when people call for an interview. I can't believe she's still complaining about Three's Company or how unfair the world and/or the industry is after 40 years. So willing to juice her sour grapes at a moment's notice. And of all the people ever on the show, she's now by far the richest!

I love the character of Chrissy and have always admired Suzanne's never-say-die spirit, but anymore Suzanne in real life has become insufferable.

I agree. I'd add that in these interviews, she never mentions the fact that she claimed, during re-negotiations of her contract, that she cracked a rib, and that's why she missed tapings of her show. It's clear that her absences were a negotiating ploy. She also never mentions that she went on the Phil Donohue Show and complained about the producers before her firing.

[JackJanetChrissy]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I agree. I'd add that in these interviews, she never mentions the fact that she claimed, during re-negotiations of her contract, that she cracked a rib, and that's why she missed tapings of her show. It's clear that her absences were a negotiating ploy. She also never mentions that she went on the Phil Donohue Show and complained about the producers before her firing.

Exactly. She plays the victim even when the facts don't add up. She complains about how she was treated in the media, but she was the one who went to the media in 1980-81!

Also, now she's pretending she was a feminist icon who just wanted to be paid equal with the men, when honestly I don't think that was even in her head in 1980, but the feminism angle "plays" well in 2018 so that's the story she's selling—for now.

I used to chalk up her bad exit from TC to her naivete or Alan Hamel's mismanagement, but over the years she's kind of shown that Suzanne is in it for Suzanne. She'll say anything if there's a camera and cash involved.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by JackJanetChrissy

Exactly. She plays the victim even when the facts don't add up. She complains about how she was treated in the media, but she was the one who went to the media in 1980-81!

Yep.

Also, now she's pretending she was a feminist icon who just wanted to be paid equal with the men, when honestly I don't think that was even in her head in 1980, but the feminism angle "plays" well in 2018 so that's the story she's selling—for now.

Indeed.


The thing is... I thought for many years that Suzanne had picked herself up, dusted herself off, learned from her mistakes on TC, and rebuilt her career. But it seems clear from these interviews that the learned from her mistakes part didn't happen. She still believes, in 2018, that she was the victim in the 1980 feud, and everyone else was mysteriously against her.



I do wish her well, and I hated the "Chrissy Minute" that seemed created just to shame her, but what she pulled on the set caused chaos for 100+ crew members, and she never even acknowledges that.

I used to chalk up her bad exit from TC to her naivete or Alan Hamel's mismanagement, but over the years she's kind of shown that Suzanne is in it for Suzanne. She'll say anything if there's a camera and cash involved.

Well said.

[JackJanetChrissy]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I do wish her well, and I hated the "Chrissy Minute" that seemed created just to shame her, but what she pulled on the set caused chaos for 100+ crew members, and she never even acknowledges that.

Totally agree!

Even before the contract dispute, Suzanne had made things awkward on set. She didn't invite some of the crew to her wedding (that was in fall 1977, during Season 2), which caused animosity. Then there was the Newsweek cover shoot in February '78 (season 2). Plus she delayed the start of Season 4 to finish a movie, which caused much grief, and was often late to rehearsals, or she'd be practicing her Vegas show when the rest of the cast were there to do a table read. A pattern emerges. Suzanne was in it for Suzanne, but she'd never admit that.

I guess everyone is the hero of their own story.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Yep.






Indeed.


The thing is... I thought for many years that Suzanne had picked herself up, dusted herself off, learned from her mistakes on TC, and rebuilt her career. But it seems clear from these interviews that the learned from her mistakes part didn't happen. She still believes, in 2018, that she was the victim in the 1980 feud, and everyone else was mysteriously against her.



I do wish her well, and I hated the "Chrissy Minute" that seemed created just to shame her, but what she pulled on the set caused chaos for 100+ crew members, and she never even acknowledges that.






Well said.

I absolutely get why John and Joyce were mad at Suzanne for the longest time. It wasn't just that Suzanne tried to force the show to give her more money than what was originally agreed upon. She created a very public scandal that could have destroyed the show and ruined everybody's meal ticket. After Suzanne stopped showing up on set as a negotiation ploy, you couldn't trust her.