​John Goodman hasn’t heard from Roseanne Barr in nearly a decade

Goodman hasn’t heard from Barr in years

John Goodman said he hasn’t talked to Roseanne Barr in seven or eight years. He said this in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published in July 2025. When asked about contacting her after the end of The Conners, Goodman said, “No. I’d rather doubt if she wants to talk to me.”

He didn’t explain why they lost contact or if something specific happened. He only said they haven’t spoken in a long time. This confirms they have not had a private conversation since before The Conners began airing on ABC in October 2018.

Goodman responds about show ending

When asked if not speaking to Roseanne made it hard to do The Conners, Goodman said no. He added that the cast worked well together and everyone stood out in their own way. He didn’t mention Barr again in that part of the interview.

The Hollywood Reporter asked Goodman if Roseanne knew about the show ending. Goodman answered that he didn’t think she would want to talk to him. This confirmed they had no contact before or after the final season of The Conners, which aired its last episode in April 2025.

Original sitcom aired in 1988

John Goodman and Roseanne Barr first appeared together on Roseanne, which premiered in 1988. The sitcom aired for nine seasons before ending in 1997. It was one of the most-watched shows in the United States during that time.

Goodman played Dan Conner and Barr played Roseanne Conner. Their characters were husband and wife. The two actors had a strong on-screen connection that helped make the show successful.

Goodman later said in 2025, “We hit it off from jump street. She made me laugh, and I made her laugh, and wow, it was so much fun.”

2018 reboot cancelled by ABC

The Roseanne reboot premiered in 2018. It brought back many of the original cast members and had high viewership. The first episode had 18 million viewers. ABC cancelled the show later that year after Roseanne Barr posted a tweet.

The tweet compared former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape. Barr later said she wrote it while on Ambien and didn’t know Jarrett was Black. ABC cancelled Roseanne because of the tweet. This ended Barr’s time on the show and started the spin-off The Conners, which aired without her.

Goodman’s public defense in 2018

In a 2018 interview with The Sunday Times, Goodman defended Barr after the tweet. He said, “I know for a fact that she’s not a racist.” He also said he was surprised by how fast ABC cancelled the show.

He talked about attending a press junket where people saw the pilot. He said the interviews quickly turned into attacks against Barr.

Goodman said it made him uncomfortable to watch how she was treated. This was one of the first times he spoke publicly about the situation after ABC cancelled Roseanne.

Roseanne’s character written off

After ABC cancelled Roseanne, they created a new show called The Conners. Roseanne’s character was written off. She died from an accidental opioid overdose. This was revealed in the show’s first episode.

The character was not shown on screen. The Conner family found pills hidden in different places around the house. ABC continued the show without Barr. It focused on the rest of the family and premiered in October 2018. Barr was no longer involved in any part of the series.

Barr’s public response in 2018

In interviews, Barr said she was treated unfairly by ABC after the tweet. She said, “It was a witch-burning.” She also said the network denied her the chance to apologize. Barr said ABC hated her and didn’t want her involved anymore.

She also said the way her character was killed off felt personal. Barr said it sent a message to her and claimed they wanted her to commit suicide. She said the show had been number one, but ABC still removed her from it.

Goodman’s Variety interview in 2023

In June 2023, Goodman told Variety he didn’t regret defending Barr. He said he still felt bad for her. He repeated that the media turned against her quickly after the show was cancelled in 2018.

He said, “I felt bad for her. And then, yeah… I just feel terrible about the whole thing.” Goodman added that they had fun working together. He said, “I love her. She’s just her own person.” At the time, he also said he didn’t know if they would work together again.

Goodman talks to Jimmy Kimmel

Before The Conners premiered in 2018, Goodman appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He said it felt weird doing the first show without Barr. He also said she was missed.

Goodman added that it felt like losing a family member because they had worked together for so many years. He said, “She gave up a lot for us to be able to do the show. I can’t thank her enough.” At the time, he still supported her despite the controversy.

Barr on Glenn Beck Podcast 2024

In October 2024, Barr spoke on The Glenn Beck Podcast. She said no other actors on the show wanted to play Trump supporters. She said the role was pushed on her even though she didn’t want it.

Barr said, “I didn’t want to be the one that was for Trump because I thought that was too on the head.” She said Goodman refused to do it. She also said none of the other characters wanted to be written as Trump supporters on the rebooted Roseanne.

Barr suggested Goodman play Trump voter

On the podcast, Barr said she thought Dan Conner should have played the Trump supporter. She said it matched the way many working-class men felt at that time. She said Goodman wouldn’t do it.

Barr said, “I thought it should have been Dan Conner because it was mostly working-class men who were pro-Trump at that time.” She added, “But he wouldn’t do it. John Goodman wouldn’t do it, and neither would any of the other characters on the show portray the Trump voter.”

Barr’s plan for political conflict

Barr said she wanted the show to reflect political disagreements inside American families. She said she wanted characters to love each other even if they voted differently. She said this was part of her reason for doing the reboot.

She said, “I wanted to show both sides still loving on each other in the same family, because that’s America.” She also said, “Maybe fighting about it, but certainly not trying to kill each other.” That idea was not fully shown in the show before it was cancelled.

Barr criticized network decisions

Barr said ABC didn’t approve of how she wanted to show the working class. She said they didn’t want to show a mixed group of people in a working-class family. She said this was a big reason for the disagreements.

She said, “I’ve always attempted to portray a realistic portrait of the American people and working-class people.” She said these issues made it hard for her to keep control of the story she wanted to tell in the show.

Goodman’s final scene on The Conners

The final episode of The Conners aired in April 2025. Goodman’s character, Dan, visited Roseanne’s grave in the episode. At the end, he sat alone in the living room and broke the fourth wall.

He looked directly at the camera, smiled, and said, “Goodnight.” Then he walked off holding a beer. Goodman told The Hollywood Reporter that he asked to do that scene. He said the producers agreed and kept it in the final cut. That ended The Conners after seven seasons.

Goodman still misses Barr

In his 2023 interview with Variety, Goodman said he misses Roseanne Barr. He said, “We had a great time. And I love her.” He didn’t say if he wanted to work with her again but didn’t say no either.

He said, “If she’d like to… I just don’t know. I miss her. I wish her well.” This showed that even though they haven’t talked in years, Goodman still thinks about her. He didn’t explain why they never reconnected after the show ended.

In other news, Tom Cruise made a rare comment about his ex‑wife Nicole Kidman 24 years after their divorce.

Barr thanked Goodman for support

After Goodman defended her, Roseanne Barr thanked him publicly. She said she appreciated him speaking up when it wasn’t easy. She said he faced pressure from producers and the network.

She said, “Thank you for speaking truth about me, despite facing certain peril from producers and the network.” She didn’t say if she had reached out to him directly. Even though they hadn’t spoken in years, Barr still noticed and appreciated his public comments.

John Goodman fractured his hip in March during filming with Tom Cruise. See how he got hurt on the set of WB’s new movie.

John Goodman says it’s been nearly a decade since he last spoke to Roseanne Barr. Were you surprised? Drop your thoughts below.

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.