Donald Trump’s shadow may have loomed large over the premier of ABC’s reboot of Roseanne, but one of the show’s stars says the debate about presidential politics was a one-time event.
Sara Gilbert, who plays Darlene, said it was never the intention of the show to focus on politics—or to align itself with the president.
“The Conners aren’t Trump supporters. Roseanne’s character is a Trump supporter — she’s the only one — and we never say his name, actually, in the show,” she said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
Roseanne Barr, like her character Roseanne, is an outspoken Trump supporter—and some parties believe it was that support that helped draw in viewers. The show pulled in an incredibly strong 21.9 million viewers last week, and Barr even received a congratulatory phone call from Trump.
Roseanne has already been renewed for a second season.
Gilbert, though, says while much of the focus was on Barr’s support of Trump (and that of her character), the show intends to stay focused on family drama instead.
“It’s not about anyone’s position or a policy, it’s really about what happens to a family when there’s a political divide, which is something that I think the entire country can relate to and something we need to talk about,” she said. “With our show, it’s never about ‘doing an issue’ or ‘doing politics.’ It’s, ‘How do these things affect a family unit?’ ”