Is it possible to separate a show from it’s creator? Is it possible to support a show, but not the person starring in it? This has been the controversy in Hollywood lately and has been brought up again with the reboot of a classic, Roseanne.

For those of you unfamiliar with the show, Roseanne is a sitcom that was popular from the late 1980s to the late 1990s. The first run of the show had 9 seasons. Today’s Roseanne picks up from where it left off, and is considered season 10. Now, what is Roseanne about? Roseanne is about life in working-class America. It follows the the Conner family through their lives. The family faces many trials and challenges, ranging from family trouble to economic trouble. They tackle issues about jobs, pregnancy, and things that anyone can encounter in life. Due to these relatable topics, Roseanne captivated millions in America. People were able to relate to her show and identified with the situations that they faced. Now the question is, how different is the reboot from the original? And the answer to that is, it’s not that different. The reboot continues to follow the lives of the Conners and their working-class struggles. It focuses more on what’s going on in today’s world. Topics range from surrogacy to sexuality to politics. It follows the life of Roseanne and her children (who are all grown and have kids of their own). Throughout the season, Roseanne learns more about this progressive world and learns to accept new ideas herself.

But why is this a controversy? The biggest reason why this has garnered a lot of attention is due to the fact that the Roseanne in the show is a Trump supporter. In real life too, Roseanne Barr (who plays Roseanne in the show) is a devoted, vocal Trump supporter. For many people, the mention of President Trump already has them uninterested in the show. But as I said earlier, this show views the life of a white, working class family, and with that, there will be conversations about the President. Many reviews of the show do say that after you get to the part where Roseanne says she voted for Trump, it isn’t really brought up. Instead, the show is progressive. With her grandchildren and her children, Roseanne learns more about the progressive world. She faces trouble with money and health insurance, the trouble with jobs in today’s economy, and all while learning more about sexuality and gender, and learning to accept things the way they are.

Now, that doesn’t seem too bad, but you then start to learn more. The actress who plays Roseanne, (Roseanne Barr) is a very well known presence online. As I mentioned earlier, she is a vocal Trump supporter. Her twitter was filled with tweets supporting Trump in the past, and even now is filled with tweets supporting him. Shortly before the airing of Roseanne, she ended up deleting all her past tweets. What raises a lot of speculation about her though is her constant tweets and beliefs in conservative conspiracy theories and scandals. She makes her views and beliefs stand out on her account. For many people, this makes them uncomfortable, knowing that both Roseanne’s (on the show and in real life) views go against their own. For others, it makes them comfortable because they are able to find someone that believes in the same things that they do. This then leads us to many questions. Should there be a line drawn between entertainment and politics? Is it possible to separate the show from the actors starring in it? Would you be able to watch a show where you have a lot of differences from the main character? The reboot of Roseanne has caused some controversy, but it has had some positive effects to it. It has brought up topics that make people uncomfortable and allows them to see that communication is always possible, even when they are on differing sides of the spectrum on certain issues. With that being said, will you be watching Roseanne, as it starts to make it’s comeback?