Sitcom star Roseanne Barr announces run for U.S. president

August 6, 2011

, best known for her role on the television sitcom ', officially announced Thursday on the ' that she will run for in 2012.

Barr, 58, starred as the blue collar, wise-cracking mother Roseanne Conner on Roseanne from 1988 to 1997. She made national headlines in 1990 for a shrill performance of the at a  baseball game that then-President  called a disgrace. After the conclusion of Roseanne, she hosted a from 1998 to 2000, before returning to her roots as a stand-up comedienne in the  special Roseanne Barr: Blonde N Bitchin'.

Last month, Barr premiered in a new reality show on ' called ', which follows her life as a farmer in Hawaii. Two weeks ago, the show was watched by 1.6 million viewers, though last week only 785,000 tuned in. In an interview with ', she admitted that the show serves as a launching pad for her presidential ambitions, arguing "I have to do a reality show in order to run for president of these United States", in allusion to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's reality series '.

During her appearance on the Tonight Show, Barr insisted that she was serious and commented that Palin's potential candidacy is "kinda what got me to thinking that I too should run for president, if she can". Barr revealed that she had created her own political party, referred to as the "Green Tea Party", which combines elements of the and Tea Party movements. She proclaimed that the taxpayers would be her and that her first order of business would be the legalization of.

If not invited to the, Barr joked that she would "" herself in.