John Goodman opened up about his relationship with former co-star Roseanne Barr. (Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
John Goodman says he doesn’t regret speaking out for Roseanne Barr after she was fired in the Roseanne reboot.
The 71-year-old Righteous Gemstones star opened up about the show’s quick cancellation in 2018 after Barr tweeted a racist tweet comparing Valerie Jarrett, a black adviser to former President Barack Obama, to a monkey. Speaking to Variety at the Monte Carlo Television Festival, Goodman confirmed that he has no regrets about his decision to publicly call Barr “not a racist.”
“NO. I remember at the time I went to some kind of bon voyage where they saw the pilot, and then the interviews, and it just turned into an attack. And I was very uncomfortable that they were just Roseanne attacked,” shared Goodman, who reprized his role as family patriarch Dan in the reboot, which continued to follow the working-class Conner family. The series, whose original series ended in 1997, was proving to be a big hit with ratings until Barr’s tweets hit the internet Although the ABC series had been selected for a second season, the aftermath caused it to be cancelled.
“Yes, I felt sorry for her,” Goodman continued. “I just feel awful about the whole thing.” You know, we had a great time. And i love her. She’s just her own person.”
Goodman is currently starring in ABC’s The Conners, the Roseanne spin-off, which has just wrapped up its fifth season. The series, which premiered about five months after the 2018 reboot was canceled, does not star Barr, whose character Roseanne died after an opioid overdose and chronic knee pain.
When asked if he would work with 70-year-old Barr again, Goodman said, “I don’t know.”
“If she wanted to… I just don’t know. I miss her,” he said. “I wish her the best.”
In 2018, Goodman told The Sunday Times he was “surprised” at the reaction” to Barr’s tweets. “And that’s probably all I have to say about that … I know for a fact that she’s not a racist.” He also noted that Barr “went through hell” because of her actions.
The story goes on
Following Barr’s tweets about Jarrett, the comedian continued to post statements on Twitter, including an apology minutes later. She soon claimed she was on Ambien when she wrote the racist message, Yahoo Entertainment previously reported. Barr later noted that being fired forced her to stop taking the medication.
Roseanne also thanked Goodman for the support at the time.
“I thank John Goodman for speaking the truth about me despite certain dangers from the producers and the network,” Barr said tweeted.
At 71, Goodman says he has no interest in slowing down. He sobered up in 2007 and has worked diligently to maintain his health in recent years, even revealing his 200lb weight loss at the festival. Although he was considering retirement “a few years ago,” he realized that quitting acting wasn’t the right decision for him.
“I enjoy acting so much that doing one or two things a year wouldn’t kill me. I was just constantly on the move,” he told Variety.