'Roseanne' Actress: 'Just Because You Voted for Trump Doesn’t Mean You’re a Bigot'

Image via Roseanne on Facebook.

Actress Alicia “Lecy” Goranson, who plays the role of the oldest daughter on “Roseanne,” made some shocking comments about Trump voters in an interview this week with entertainment website Vulture. And by “shocking” I mean this: she expressed respect and understanding.

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Goranson, a self-identified liberal feminist, was asked her thoughts about the media buzz regarding Roseanne Barr’s support for Trump, in real life and through her televised alter-ego, Roseanne Conner. Goranson clearly voiced respect not only for Barr’s right to her own political opinions, but also for the millions of Americans who voted for Trump.

“I disagree with Roseanne’s politics in that regard,” said Goranson. “I voted for Hillary. I’m a Democrat, but I respect her as a person, and as a feminist and as an American citizen, I think everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”

Goranson shared her thoughts about why people voted for Trump, specifically expressing understanding about working class voters and rejecting the attempt by many to paint all Trump supporters as bigots:

I also think that just because you voted for Trump doesn’t mean you’re a bigot or a racist or someone who hates homosexuals. I don’t feel you can equate a vote to all those other things. To me, the reason some people voted for Trump is because he thought if you were wealthy, he would save you money in taxes, but if you weren’t wealthy, people thought he would get you a job. I don’t think those things have anything to do with bigotry but I feel like we live in a very knee-jerk society where it’s all about soundbites. People like to say, “Roseanne’s a Trump supporter” because they don’t want to say, “Roseanne, who voted for Trump, who disagrees with many of his policies, but agrees with the fact that the working class should have more job security” is not as fun for people.

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The first episodes of the reboot have featured conflict between the Trump-supporting Roseanne character and her sister Jackie, a liberal feminist who was seen in the premiere wearing a pink hat and voicing support for the Women’s March. Goranson discussed this, noting that many families have diverse political views but prioritize their love for each other over partisan differences — an approach that would be beneficial for America as a whole.

People are angry. People are clinging to anger. There’s a rigidity on both sides and my argument is our show has always been a source of social dialogue. It’s a reflective show that makes families look and reflect on their own lives, but it’s also about talking about things. Roseanne didn’t want the show to come back to spread her own propaganda. She wanted the show to come back to create a dialogue among these two rigid sides. I know for people who hate Trump, they don’t want to think that someone who voted for him would have that intention, but that’s the truth…

Whether you’re a liberal or you’re conservative, I just don’t understand how you feel like someone else would understand your point of view if you’re stuck in anger and you’re not open to another view. How could there be progress?

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Well said.

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Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter: @rumpfshaker.

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