John Goodman Addresses Roseanne Barr’s Firing and ‘Roseanne’ Reboot Cancellation

Five years after ABC canceled its , John Goodman addressed the cancellation and former co-star Roseanne Barr’s firing. While at the Monte Carlo Television Festival, the actor spoke to FRANCE 24 about what happened with Barr and how he felt about it.

“It wasn’t so much a specific tweet… well, it was,” Goodman explained. “But she had been asked not to be so active on social media, and she’s irrepressible, she couldn’t help herself. But anyway, it led to them basically shutting down the show, which kind of devastated me because I was having a great deal of fun. Oddly enough, the next day, I got an offer to do The Righteous Gemstones. So yeah, I was in shock, but I had the opportunity to go somewhere else.”

Things were initially going downhill in 2018 with Roseanne after Barr was involved in a wave of controversy, which threatened to halt the series. The controversy involved racist tweets from the actress towards Valerie Jarrett, an African-American Senior Advisor to Barack Obama during his presidency. Barr was officially fired from the series in late May 2018, and ABC canceled the series not long after. 

However, it seems to have been a good thing, as John Goodman said that after the cancellation, “the network decided to re-establish the show as The Conners, and we’re still chugging along.” When The Conners premiered that October, it was revealed that they had killed off Roseanne in the form of her dying suddenly following knee surgery, squashing any chances for the actress to appear on the series, which may have been for the better.

The Conners for a sixth season, but its future is unknown. It’s possible the series could be coming to an end soon, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Luckily, the series still seems to be doing pretty well, and there is still Season 6 to look forward to. Even though it won’t be here until at least 2024 due to ABC’s strike-proof schedule in the fall, the wait will definitely be worth it. Since the writers’ strike is still ongoing and for who knows how long, it may be a while until filming starts. Fans won’t have to be without the series, though, as all five seasons are currently streaming on Hulu, so it should keep them occupied until Season 6 finally airs.