Roseanne Barr has jumped to the defense of Ingrid Andress, who is facing widespread criticism after her disastrous national anthem performance at the MLB Home Run Derby Monday.
Speaking with TMZ Wednesday, Barr said critics should calm down because "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the "hardest [song] in the world" to sing.
Barr, 71, added that the singer nailed her performance despite the backlash, which was fueled after Andress admitted to having too much alcohol to drink at the time.
In fact, if anyone had butchered the anthem, Barr said, it would be her. She belted out the song at a San Diego Padres game in 1990 to boos from the audience and a wave of criticism from fans and even then-President George H.W. Bush, who described her singing as "disgraceful," according to Page Six.
Barr later responded with an apology.
"I'm sorry I didn't sing so good. But I'd like to hear him sing it," she added.
The actor and comedian is not shy from voicing her opinion on a variety of topics. Most recently, she stirred controversy by taking fire at her critics, ABC, former co-stars, and the media in an interview with Newsweek that came six years after she was "canceled" for a tweet deemed racist.
Barr shared her plans for a lawsuit against ABC, as well as a tell-all book that could leave her former co-stars from "Roseanne" and "The Conners" shaken.
"Once I sue ABC and own it, then every show I put on will be about a fat [expletive] from the Midwest," she said.
"I'm writing a book about the show and I'm going to tell all of their secrets," she said of her former co-workers. "I'm telling every dirty, [expletive] thing I know about every one of them. It's going to be great, because I kept those secrets all those years in the interest of the show."
Barr added that she had not spilled any alleged secrets because she was too nice.
"I was an idiot who cared about people, and I went out of the way to help them," she said.
In the interview, Barr claimed that she exited "Roseanne" to make way for ABC to create "The Conners" and preserve the jobs of those depending on the show.
She also addressed her political move from left to right, saying she used to be a "communist," adding that it would cost her financially if far-left policies were implemented. She went on to admit that supporting former President Donald Trump makes her unpopular in Hollywood, which could affect her income.
"Ask me again in a year," she said when Newsweek asked if her support of Trump was worth the cost. "I'm a populist and Trump's a populist. I don't like elitists who tell us how to live and what shot we should take. I'm for freedom, and I've never changed."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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