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Roseanne Barr is opening up about the dynamics behind the scenes of her hit sitcom “Roseanne.”
During a recent episode of “The Roseanne Barr Podcast,” the 73-year-old comedian spoke with Michael Malice about John Goodman’s decision to scale back his appearances on the show in the later seasons.
When Malice asked if that decision left her feeling “betrayed,” Barr admitted that it did.
“I don’t think I heard it from his agent, I think I heard it from the producers of the show actually [that] he doesn’t want to be on the show anymore,” she explained. “I think they said he’ll do six of the 24 or something like that.”
Barr admitted to feeling betrayed by Goodman following his decision to reduce his involvement in the show. (Vera Anderson/WireImage)
Although she felt betrayed, Barr said she kept things “professional” and kept her personal feelings separate from her work on the show.
“None of them supported me in any of the s— I went through the first show and I just had to sweep it aside and do the show. Always,” she added. “I kind of learned to not speak to anybody on the set when we were filming in a one-to-one personal thing. I was always the character. When we went to work, I was always the character. That’s even when I’d break to go get a cup of coffee, I was still the character.”
“Roseanne” is often regarded as one of the most influential television shows of the 1980s and 90s, airing on ABC for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997, earning Barr an Emmy and Golden Globe Award.
Its popularity stemmed from the show’s subject matter, as it portrayed a blue-collar family, highlighting their money troubles and often mixing serious and comedic topics.
“Roseanne” aired on ABC for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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During the podcast, Malice asked Barr why she doesn’t find it fun to share her stories from her heyday in Hollywood, to which her son and sometimes co-host, Jake Pentland, said, “She doesn’t think that being famous is interesting.”
“Plus, I think what I say about it isn’t interesting to people because it’s so dark and horrifying, and they want to think, and then she got famous and lived happily ever [after]. Like I hate to tell you this, but it was a walk into the f—ing pits of hell surrounded by demons. Sorry to blow your f—ing fantasy as well,” she added.
Due to the popularity of the original show, “Roseanne” was rebooted in 2018, with much of the original cast returning, but was canceled after one season after Barr compared former Obama administration advisor Valerie Jarrett to an ape in a racist tweet.
Following their decision to cancel the reboot, ABC announced a spin-off called “The Conners,” in which Barr’s character was said to have died of an opioid overdose.
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Barr’s character was killed off for the “Roseanne” spin-off, “The Conners.” (Theo Wargo/Getty Images for NBC)
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“When they killed my character off, that was a message to me, knowing that I’m mentally ill or have mental health issues, that they did want me to commit suicide,” Barr told the Los Angeles Times in February 2023.”They killed my character, and my character. And all of that was to say thank you for bringing 28 million viewers, which they never had before and will never see again. Because they can kiss my a–.”
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