Roseanne Barr is facing blowback from Chelsea Clinton after the comedian tweeted a conspiracy theory claiming Clinton is married to the nephew of billionaire investor and philanthropist George Soros. On Monday, Barr tweeted "Chelsea Soros Clinton," seemingly out of nowhere.
An hour later, Barr added: "she's married to George Soros' nephew," which she has since deleted:
Clinton responded on Tuesday morning, tweeting to Barr that she isn't married to a Soros, though she is appreciative of Soros' work through his Open Society Foundation, which works "to build vibrant and tolerant democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people."
Good morning Roseanne - my given middle name is Victoria. I imagine George Soros’s nephews are lovely people. I’m just not married to one. I am grateful for the important work
@OpenSociety does in the world. Have a great day!
At 9:30 Tuesday morning, Barr sent another tweet to Clinton, this time with a fake apology in which she accuses Soros of being a Nazi.
Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you! Please forgive me! By the way, George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea?
Barr's claim that Soros was a Nazi is also patently false.
The conspiracy theory that Barr pushed on Twitter is wholly untrue and easily debunkable. The rumor was started by actor Scott Baio, who campaigned for Donald Trump in 2016.
Did you know????
Some Clinton connection I just discovered.
So Chelsea is married to George SOROS nephew.
Baio provided no evidence to support this, and he based it on another lie that Clinton married her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, at Soros' mansion. Clinton and Mezvinsky, son of Ed Mezvinsky, were married at Astor Courts on the old Astor estate Ferncliff Farm. Ed Mezvinsky is a former congressman who in 2002 plead guilty to 31 counts of fraud.
Snopes points out that Soros only has one brother, Paul, who has two sons, Peter and Jeffrey. In fact, Mezvinsky's actual uncle, Norton, wasn't even invited to the wedding. From the New York Daily News:
The A-list roster of 500 guests for the Chelsea Clinton wedding didn’t include a spot for her fiancé’s lone uncle.
A family feud blocked a disappointed Norton Mezvinsky from making the cut for the Saturday nuptials of his nephew, Marc, and the former First Daughter.
“I’m the senior male member of the family, and Marc’s only uncle,” Norton Mezvinsky told the Daily News Wednesday. “I am not surprised, but extremely hurt I wasn’t invited.”
Why Barr chose to peddle this debunked conspiracy theory is unclear, however, Clinton received an outpouring of support on Twitter following the incident.
"The way you face ugliness with dignity and grace, day in and day out, is beyond inspiring."
Barr also went on a Twitter tirade Tuesday morning against former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett. "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj," she wrote. Barr subsequently deleted the tweet and then announced that she is leaving Twitter.
She also issued an apology to Jarrett, saying her "joke was in bad taste."
I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to all Americans. I am truly sorry for making a bad joke about her politics and her looks. I should have known better. Forgive me-my joke was in bad taste.
Not long after Barr's secondary Twitter meltdown, Wanda Sykes said that she will be leaving "Roseanne."
On Tuesday afternoon, ABC announced that it is canceling "Roseanne," which was slated to air its second season this fall.
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