Actor John Goodman said he struggled with the sudden attention that came with the success of “Roseanne,” describing the experience as frightening during a conversation with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. The discussion addressed career decisions and challenges he wished he had anticipated.
Asked what he would have handled differently, Goodman said he wished he had been better prepared for fame and called himself his own worst enemy. He recalled that as his career rose in the late 1980s and early 1990s, someone advised him to hire a publicist and manage the attention. Goodman said he had difficulty accepting how quickly he became well known, because he did not see himself as a celebrity.
He said it took time to adjust to the demands that came with success, including promoting films. Goodman acknowledged that marketing commitments were not ideal for him, but said they were part of supporting projects in which people had invested money and effort.
Goodman also reflected on why he joined “Roseanne,” saying he wanted to stop living out of a suitcase. He said he and Roseanne Barr connected quickly and that he believed he had secured the part after leaving their initial encounter. The sitcom aired on ABC for nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997, and produced 222 episodes during its original run. It won four Emmy Awards.
Goodman described the program as a contrast to television dramas such as “Dynasty” and “Dallas,” which he characterized as focused on wealth. He said “Roseanne” presented a more grounded family and recalled Barr’s point that being poor did not mean a family was unintelligent. In his account, the family’s laughter and affection helped hold it together, a quality he felt came across on screen.
After the original series, Goodman appeared in films including “The Flintstones,” “The Big Lebowski” and “Monsters, Inc.” He later returned as Dan Conner for the 2018 “Roseanne” revival. ABC canceled that revival after Barr posted a racist statement on social media about Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama. The network subsequently brought back the rest of the cast for “The Conners,” without Barr. The source reports that the series ran from 2018 through 2025, with 112 episodes.
In remarks to The Hollywood Reporter in July 2025, Goodman said he had expected the revival to last only a handful of episodes. He said he thought it was over after Barr was dismissed, then took a role on “The Righteous Gemstones” before the cast reunited for “The Conners.” He said he had enjoyed his time on the later series, though he had not known how long it would continue. The source says he was filming “The Conners” and “The Righteous Gemstones” at the same time.
Goodman told The Hollywood Reporter that he and Barr had not spoken for roughly seven or eight years as of that interview, and expressed doubt that she wanted to speak with him. Barr, speaking on her podcast in March, said she felt betrayed by Goodman’s decision to reduce his appearances in the later seasons. She said she believed she learned from the producers that he no longer wanted to appear regularly, and recalled being told he would do six episodes out of a 24-episode season. Those comments reflect Barr’s account; the supplied material does not include a response from Goodman to that specific claim.
