Veteran actor John Goodman has shared that he hasn’t spoken to his former Roseanne co-star Roseanne Barr in “seven or eight years,” opening up about their fractured relationship in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
A Decade of Silence After Roseanne’s Controversial Exit
Goodman, 73, revealed that his last contact with Barr, 72, dates back to before the abrupt cancellation of the Roseanne reboot in 2018. The show was axed by ABC after Barr posted a string of offensive tweets, sparking backlash and leading the network to sever ties with her.
Reflecting on their fallout, Goodman said:
“I’d rather doubt if she wants to talk to me. We haven’t talked for about seven or eight years.”
Despite the show’s demise, the network spun the series off into The Conners, where Goodman continued his role as Dan Conner, but without Barr.
“I didn’t think [the Roseanne reboot] was going to go beyond the initial five or six episodes. I thought it’d be a one-off thing, and then we got picked up, and Roseanne got fired. I thought that was it… Then we got to do the show again as The Conners. I didn’t know how long it would last, but I sure enjoyed it while I was there.”
From Chemistry to Collapse
Goodman recalled their early chemistry when Roseanne first premiered in 1988:
“We hit it off from jump street. She made me laugh, and I made her laugh, and wow, it was so much fun. We’d get so many viewers for the show back then — 20, 30 million people. Things are so different now, but it was a special time.”
Though the pair once shared undeniable on-screen synergy, their connection has since dissolved amid the controversy and aftermath of the reboot’s cancellation.
Recovering From Injury On Set With Tom Cruise
Goodman also discussed a recent health scare while filming Alejandro Iñárritu’s upcoming comedy alongside Tom Cruise. The actor fractured his hip in a freak accident on set:
“We had been working on the scene for a week and a half… I was passing Tom, and my legs just went on the floor, and I came up parallel to the ground and landed on my hip. I tried to get back up, and when I couldn’t do that, I started fearing the worst.”
An X-ray later confirmed the fracture, halting his work temporarily.
From sitcom success to silence with Roseanne and now a high-profile film with Tom Cruise, Goodman continues to show resilience and dedication to his craft — even amid personal and professional upheavals.
