The Hero Worship of White Feminists

The Hero Worship of White Feminists

From We Blame Roseanne by Diana Krach

February 8, 2026 · 1h 27m · Season 1 · Episode 2

About this episode

Diana and JR discuss the impact of Roseanne on the perception of White Feminism and its shortcomings in addressing broader social issues.

In this episode, Diana and JR unpack why they blame Roseanne (both the show and the person) for perpetuating White Feminism. While Roseanne continues to be regarded as a "feminist icon", the bulk of her work only allowed for a feminism that primarily focused on the experience of cisgender, neurotypical white people. The show Roseanne has received a lot of critical acclaim for a couple of episodes labeled controversial or groundbreaking because they address homophobia and racism, but sitcom barely scratched the surface. The episode neatly wraps the issue of racism up in a bow, with a brief performative rant and not further discussion. In season 10, DJ marries the Black girl he initially refused to kiss, but the previous prejudice is never explored. When the focus is LGBTQIA+ characters, the jokes are mean-spirited, lazy, and unclever, yet Roseanne (pre-cancelation) was constantly referred to as a "gay rights icon". No other show has launched as many influential careers as Roseanne. In a new segment loosely titled "demon spawn", Diana and JR also discuss how the show launched the careers of two creators who have been worshipped for their feminist characters. Those creators, Joss…

People in this episode

Host: Diana Krach

Guest: JR

Topics covered

  • White Feminism
  • Representation in Media
  • Cultural Critique
  • LGBTQIA+ Issues
  • Racism in Sitcoms
  • Feminist Icons

Keywords

  • White Feminism
  • Roseanne
  • Joss Whedon
  • Amy Sherman-Palladino
  • LGBTQIA+ representation
  • racism
  • sitcom critique
  • feminist icons

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Roseanne, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls

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