Channing Dungey, the ABC Entertainment president who made the bold decision to yank Roseanne after its star made a racist tweet, has resigned her post.
Dungey will be replaced by Karey Burke, the current head of programming at Freeform, ABC’s sister cable network.
“I’m incredibly proud of what the team and I have accomplished over the years, and all the meaningful and impactful programming we’ve developed,” Dungey said in a statement. “This job has been the highlight of my career. While I’ve loved every moment and knew I could call ABC home for many years to come, I’m excited to tackle new challenges.”
It was Dungey who announced the cancellation of Roseanne after Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet about Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett. “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” she said at the time.
Dungey became the first black American president of a major broadcast TV network when took she over the top post in 2016. Though she helped to launch new hits like The Good Doctor, her tenure was marred when uber-producer Shonda Rhimes and Kenya Barris (black-ish) left ABC Studios for rich new pacts at Netflix. She was widely praised, however, for canceling Roseanne and for figuring out a way to salvage the production by launching The Conners without Barr.
Burke brings a wealth of experience to the role as ABC Entertainment president. A veteran of the broadcast TV business, Burke began her career at NBC, where she rose through the ranks to oversee production of series including The West Wing, Will & Grace, and ER. She also helped to develop shows like Freaks and Geeks, Scrubs, Friends, Mad About You, and Just Shoot Me before eventually leaving the network to work as an independent producer.
She was named executive vice president of programming at Freeform in 2014.
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