Shortly after ABC announced the renewal of revival hit sitcom Roseanne, star of the show Roseanne Barr shared some controversial opinions over Twitter. The tweets allude to a conspiracy theory which credits President Donald Trump with breaking up child sex-trafficking rings. Let’s just say they’re far-fetched at best.
Her tweets suggest support of the online conspiracy theory known as “The Storm” which espouses the idea that there is a child sex-trafficking ring led, in part, by the Democratic party. "President Trump has freed so many children held in bondage to pimps all over this world. Hundreds each month. He has broken up trafficking rings in high places everywhere. Notice that. I disagree on some things, but give him benefit of doubt-4 now," Barr wrote in a now-deleted tweet on Friday night. The actress does not explicitly mention the theory by name, but according to the Los Angeles Times, she has shared links to it in recent months.
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The theory’s origins begin on a sub-board of 4chan, reports New York Magazine. There is a lot to unpack about the origin and credibility of the anonymous source known as “Q,” but in short, they claim they are a high-level, government insider who knows “the truth” behind Mueller’s Russia investigation, the aforementioned sex-trafficking ring, and who are actually the “good guys.” It probably won’t shock you to read that “Q” claims that Trump isn’t actually being investigated by Mueller, that Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are actually the corrupt presidents, and that Trump figured out the trafficking ring cover-up and is secretly breaking it up. To put it simply, it’s a lot.
Barr’s tweets quickly amassed widespread criticism, which she responded to by partially reneging on her controversial statement, writing, "I have worked with victims of trafficking for decades & supported the fight against it. Sorry to have mentioned it here. It's not the place." The internet is full of people’s theories, true and untrue, researched and unresearched. Doing our due diligence to understand the source of our information before sharing is vital. It goes back to the overused phrase, “You can’t believe everything you read online.”
This isn’t the first time that Barr has expressed support for politically-charged conspiracy theories online. When asked, ABC responded saying they will not be commenting on Barr’s tweets. Refinery29 has also reached out to Barr for comment.
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