Roseanne Barr broke down in tears and said she had become a “hate magnet”, following her controversial tweet about a former aide to Barack Obama.
The Jewish actress expressed her anguish and regret over her “huge error” in a podcast interview with Rabbi Shmuely Boteach.
Ms Barr sparked widespread condemnation when she tweeted that former White House adviser Valerie Jarrett - born in Iran to American parents - has connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, and compared her to an ape.
She wrote: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” (Ms Jarrett’s initials).
Though she apologised at the time and deleted the tweet, Ms Barr has repeatedly denied being racist and said that she had made “a bad joke about her politics and her looks”.
Recorded two days after ABC axed the revival of her popular 1980s sitcom, the interview has only just been released as Rabbi Boteach said he wanted to give the 65-year-old “space to reflect” and invite her to release it at “the appropriate time”.
It was released on Sunday, soon after ABC rehired most of the show’s cast - besides the leading lady - for a series spinoff called The Conners.
Rabbi Boteach, known for his association with a host of celebrities including the late Michael Jackson, told listeners he had known Ms Barr for 20 years and that she “loves the Torah”.
Emotional and contrite, she said: “I’m a lot of things, a loud mouth and all that stuff. But I’m not stupid for God’s sake. I never would have wittingly called any black person and say they are a monkey. I just wouldn’t do that. I didn’t do that.
“And people think that I did that and it just kills me... I’m just so sorry that I was so unclear and stupid. I’m very sorry. But I don’t think that and I would never do that. I have loved ones who are African American, and I just can’t stand it. I’ve made a huge error and I told ABC when they called me.”
Ms Barr has said that she thought Ms Jarrett was white and that her tweet had actually been about antisemitism.
She told Rabbi Boteach: “Rod Serling wrote Planet of The Apes. It was about antisemitism. That is what my tweet referred to - the antisemitism of the Iran deal. Low IQ people can think whatever they want.”
Ms Barr continued: “Of course, no I don’t excuse it. I horribly regret it. Are you kidding? I lost everything, and I regretted it before I lost everything. And I said to God, ‘I am willing to accept whatever consequences this brings because I know I’ve done wrong’.”
She added the consequences were ongoing. She said: “They don’t accept my apology, or explanation. And I’ve made myself a hate magnet. And as a Jew, it’s just horrible.”
During the interview, Ms Barr revealed that the TV network had instructed her to “get off Twitter” but that she insisted on a caveat.
She said she told TV bosses: “I have to tell you right now before we sign any papers that I will never stop defending Israel and the Jewish people.
"I cannot, if I were to do that, I would rather be dead, I can’t do that. So if you want to hire me know that. I will never stop.”
