Tom Arnold Bashes 'Roseanne' in NSFW Gripe

Roseanne Barr’s ex-husband held no punches in his criticism of the Roseanne reboot.Tom Arnold, [...]

By Kelsey Patterson

Roseanne Barr's ex-husband held no punches in his criticism of the Roseanne reboot.

Tom Arnold, who was married to the comedy series' star from 1990-94, followed along as viewers watched the show's premiere on Tuesday. Throughout the show, he took to Twitter to burn followers who praised the show's pro-Trump political themes.

"I'm thinking #roseanne might be the closest to an honest assessment of 2017-18 you're going to find that isn't in your own house," wrote Fox News host Greg Gutfeld.

Arnold responded with a swift clap back at the conservative, writing, "We sure as f— are not going to find it at @greggutfeld @FoxNews."

Gutfeld got the last word, painting him as a "bitter" ex who has been scorned by the Roseanne star, leading him to spew critique.

"Perfect example of contrast: [Roseanne] reboot aims for dialogue; a bitter ex stabs out a response on twitter from a toilet seat," he wrote.

And while Barr and Arnold have long-standing tension, he penned a full-length review of the show and said he was pleasantly surprised.

The 59-year-old former writer and actor for the sitcom — before getting fired by Barr in 1994 after six seasons — shared his honest opinion with The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, just one day before the reboot's premiere.

"The world is different now than when Roseanne and I went to Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1992, and a lot has changed since the show went off the air in 1997," he began the lengthy post, adding that when he learned about the reboot he was "happy for Roseanne and the other actors."

He continued, saying he "knew the new show's success would rest on one thing: Who will Roseanne Conner be in 2018?" before elaborating on her outspoken pro-Trump political views.

Arnold went on to write that when he "read on the internet that Roseanne Conner was going to be a far-right Trump lover," and that the show "would now be more about Sara Gilbert's character, Darlene, and that Roseanne's role wouldn't be that big of a deal," he didn't think it sounded good.

He detailed his reaction to the premiere episode titled "Twenty Years to Life," including the revelation that Dan Conner is alive despite "what everyone assumed was a fatal heart attack in the 1997 series finale," and he praised the performances of Barr and John Goodman.

"[They] haven't skipped a beat," he wrote. "Reboots have to be tough to write because they aren't pilots, but they kind of are, so you have to introduce your characters to new people but not over-introduce them to fans. But honestly, once my eyes adjusted a bit, the cold open could be from the '90s."

He told fans of the original show that the reboot is "as good as it's going to get."

"[Barr] has done everything from pulling my hair transplants immediately after surgery to saying I had a 3-inch penis on SNL, so I figure if I can give the show another shot, maybe other people could too," he wrote.

Roseanne airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of