John Goodman Reflects on Roseanne Barr Controversy: ‘I Wish Her Well’

While The Conners has found its own success without Roseanne Barr, former co-star John Goodman is wishing her well. In 2018, Barr and Goodman reprised their roles from Roseanne for a revival series on ABC. The revival drew huge ratings, but due to Barr’s problematic posts on social media, the show was canceled. ABC then moved the story forward with The Conners, a spinoff that kills off Barr’s Roseanne while bringing back the rest of the Roseanne cast.

Around the time of the controversy, Goodman spoke out in support of Barr, commenting to the Sunday Times that he was “surprised at the response.” He also said he knows “for a fact that she’s not a racist” and that Barr has “gone through hell” because of the whole ordeal. While speaking with Variety at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival this week, Goodman reflected on the controversy, noting that he doesn’t regret sticking up for Barr, recalling how it felt to see her lambasted.

“At the time I remember going to some kind of junket where they saw the pilot, and then the interviews, and it just turned into attack,” Goodman remembered. “And that made me very uncomfortable with them just attacking Roseanne.”

He continued, “Yeah, I felt bad for her. And then, yeah … I just feel terrible about the whole thing. You know, we had a great time. And I love her. She’s just her own person.”

Barr won’t be coming back to The Conners, of course, but she has stepped back into the spotlight, recently hosting her own comedy special for Fox Nation. If she’s getting back to work, would Goodman be interested in reuniting with her on a future project?

“I don’t know. If she’d liked to,” Goodman said when asked. “I just don’t know. I miss her. I wish her well.”

Related: Roseanne Barr Puts Sara Gilbert on Blast: ‘Stabbed Me in the Back’

John Goodman Misses Roseanne Barr

Roseanne and its spinoff The Conners have both been very successful television shows. Goodman commented on this success as well, theorizing that they’ve done so well as they resonate with viewers who know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck. And even with Barr gone from The Conners, Goodman still thinks about something she said in the very beginning that explains why these characters connect with the fans.

“I think a lot of people have tied into the struggle that it lives paycheck to paycheck. And we try to handle it with humor,” Goodman explains. “Roseanne said something very early in the process: ‘Just because we’re poor doesn’t make us stupid.’ And I think that has a lot to say for the series, but it’s a struggle that’s handled with humor.”

Barr’s comedy special, Roseanne Barr: Cancel This!, is streaming on Fox Nation. As for Goodman, he will be back as Dan Conner as a sixth season of The Conners is in the works at ABC. He can also be seen in the new season of The Righteous Gemstones, streaming on Max.