John Goodman Breaks Silence, Takes ABC to Task for Axing Roseanne, Hints at Killer Conners Premiere Twist
John Goodman fell into a depression in the aftermath of Roseanne‘s sudden, controversial cancellation. In his first comments about the sitcom’s demise and subsequent rebirth via The Conners, the actor told The Sunday Times that ABC’s decision to pull the plug in response to star Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet left him “brokenhearted,” adding, “But I thought, ‘OK, it’s just show business, I’m going to let it go.’ But I went through a period, about a month, where I was very depressed.
“I’m a depressive anyway, so any excuse that I can get to lower myself, I will,” he continued. “But that had a great deal to do with it, more than I wanted to admit.”
Goodman went on to defend his former leading lady, whose since-deleted tweet described ex-Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as the offspring of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.” [pmc_inline_gallery]
“I know for a fact that she’s not a racist,” Goodman said, before suggesting that he was not entirely supportive of ABC’s decision to cancel the sitcom. “I’ll put it this way, I was surprised at the response. And that’s probably all I should say about it.”
Regarding how spinoff series The Conners (premiering Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 8/7c) will address Barr’s absence, Goodman said, “It’s an unknown. I guess [Dan]’ll be mopey and sad because his wife’s dead.”
Immediately following Roseanne‘s cancellation last May, Goodman’s TV children released statements condemning Barr’s behavior. Lecy Goranson (aka Becky No. 1) said that she was “devastated by the cancellation,” but insisted that “more devastating are the effects of hate speech and racism on individuals and society.” Sara Gilbert (Darlene) denounced her TV mom’s comment as “abhorrent,” while Michael Fishman (DJ) called Barr’s supposed joke “reprehensible and intolerable.”
Sometimes, even very famous and celebrated ones, have to face truths that bad behavior that reflects on the “mothership” has consequences. This is how it is today. Our world is so political. Social media use is often impulsive and irresponsible. I liken it to drinking and driving. Don’t do it.
Well said!
You’re right, but the punishment should fit the crime, and ABC swatted a fly with a flamethrower.
ABC is a company like any other, and most companies have morality clauses these days. Good or bad, if you break contract, for any reason, you can be fired. And while I disagree with John Goodman on this, I don’t think we can discount that he and Barr have had a professional (as adults) relationship for 30 + years. Most people who work together for that kind of period associate themselves with each other. They, Goodman in this instance, have a loyalty/understanding with their problematic colleagues that isn’t common. I don’t expect him to speak out against or agree with ABC either way. One could pit him against a person he has known for decades, the other could cost him his job. Our world is political, and that is a reality he must deal with, but he doesn’t have to take a firm stance on anything if he doesn’t want to. After all, what can be more (modern) American than opting out politics all together when half the country doesn’t vote?
ABC has a double standard. Their show “The View” is a prime example
Will not be watching without Roseanne in it. Why bother
Imagine every castmember is Roseanne Barr and you’re good to go.
You won’t be missed
Just you Gord LMAO!!!!!
Honestly, her acting this last season was awful. Half the time it felt as though she was reading off of cue cards. She really won’t be missed.
I agree. Her acting was horrible.
See, I’d say why bother if Roseanne was in it. And I’ve always said that – for decades. Sorry, John, but you just convinced me to skip The Connors, too. Perhaps the cast should just keep their mouths shut.
he probably doesn’t care whether you tune into or not.
Perhaps you should just keep your mouth shut!
To support the other actors and the show. Perhaps in time, the network can forgive and bring her back
Why support the OTHER back-stabbing actors & the show that gave her the boot? Dan & Roseanne MADE the show. The others could have filled in by ANY one, especially the snotty Darlene/Gilbert.
👍
You realize that your time on earth is worth more than wasting hours watching a mediocre TV show, right?
Oh that’s right!
It’s worth reading and writing these comments
Nice lol and so true
And I’m out. I wanted to give them a chance if they send Roseanne to rehab or away or something but dead? No can do. I’ll just pretend season 10 was the final one.
Just like when they so called killed off Kevin James wife in Kevin can wait
I stopped watching the show immediately after she was let go. Fortunately she will do fine on own. She is a great actress
I don’t think it’s the same situation. With Kevin Can Wait they just wanted to bring back Leah and see if her and Kevin’s chemistry would bring in more viewers, they wanted to recapture whatever made King of Queens work. The actress playing the wife didn’t do anything wrong.
Here it looks like they might of been fed up with Roseanne’s behavior and that tweet was the last straw, although that’s just my guess. Roseanne has had a lot of unusual behavior attached to her.
So if it goes on for 5-10 more seasons, she’s in rehab for 5-10 years? She’s written out. The only way that works is to kill her off.
Rehab? You think bigotry can be cured in rehab??
It’s worth the try
I think she meant the character [not the actress] would be in rehab for 5-10 years if the show went on [if they didn’t kill her off].
Why can’t bigotry be cured in rehab everything else goes to rehab to get cured its called “Mental Health” treatment.
Rehab would of been a good Idea, but that would mean she would have to be show some what beginning or end.
Who cares. I couldn’t stand this show the first time around the way it was. Roseanne is too obnoxious for me to want to watch & listen to. I can’t believe they even resurrected this show. Won’t watch it this time either.
Why are you wasting your time commenting on an article about a show you couldn’t stand and won’t watch? Do you do that on every show you don’t plan on watching? You must have a lot of time on your hands…
You must have a lot of time on your hands to respond. See how that works both ways? Before you ask, yes I do have a lot of time on my hands today.
But then why even read an article about a show you don’t watch and/or won’t watch in the first place, let alone comment on it…
They are probably one of those people who constantly call/email in to radio shows they supposedly despise and yet are obviously listening all the time as the respond to everything with negative comments.
I’m definitely going to be watching and I hope for the rest of the cast and crew that the show is a success
I will watch too, if for nothing else then to give it a chance. I loved the original, and really liked the reboot. Here’s to hoping it makes it.
I agree & wish them well with new show
Same. No reason to put the hundreds of crew and other cast out of work because the network did the right thing in firing someone.
I’m actually looking forward to not having Roseanne as part of the cast. I’ve never liked her style of humor and acting for years so this might be my chance to watch the show and enjoy it.
“I know for a fact that she’s not a racist,” alrighty then…
Well, he actually knows her personally, and I don’t, so I can’t really argue with him.
You’re assuming his definition/perception is objective. Not supportable.
There’s an old saying: When someone tells you who they are, believe them. She told us, loud and clear.
Exactly!
Right. Old rich man says she’s not a racist (even though she screams vile racist comments from the top of her lungs) as he whines about his show being cancelled due to his racist co stars racist rants. Sorry Goodman, but you are lying.
good for him for supporting his friend. I hope he ditches the conners and is offered another series.
It’s truly amazing when people say “I know for a fact…” She has proven herself to be a racist on more than one occasion. So, bugger off, John.
What’s truly amazing is people who believe they “know” someone more than a person who has worked alongside them off and on for more than a decade.
They started working together in 1989. I feel like he probably knows her slightly better as a person than we do.
*1988
I guess that’s true. I thought Roseanne premiered in 89 but didn’t fact check.
Then he’s willfully ignorant to her behavior. Or maybe he feels the same way she does, so he doesn’t view her as racist?
That is exactly it. Racists don’t believe there is anything wrong with their racist beliefs.
I think it’s ridiculous every time someone makes a bad comment their lives are ruined forever. The show is Roseanne. Not the Connor family. She obviously is not a racist just bad judgement. She apologized. Get over it. Be better than the rest of the idiots who fired everyone who made a bad call. So what!! Bring her back. Her tv kids should have stood by her.
“She obviously is not a racist”
Interesting logic system you have there. She obviously IS a racist, and she proved it herself.
Apology notwithstanding, without any type of punishment, the message is sent out that it is okay to use such hateful language, just as long as you apologize right afterward. Essentially there is nothing wrong with calling someone a hateful disgusting name, as long as you say “my bad” or “I’m sorry” right afterward (and move on). No repercussions for something vile and cutting. I guess that’s what it really means to be following the President. Anyone who has never been called a cruel, nasty name because of their race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, or even intelligence (yea, I got a lot of that growing up in Red Pennsylvania) cannot begin to understand.
This. And besides that, her apology wasn’t exactly very sincere, as she posted more questionable stuff some time afterward and still kept trying to pull the “pity me” card. She doesn’t seem to really grasp why people were upset over what she said.
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Also, for everyone who keeps trying to brush off her tweet as “just a joke”, they need to understand that it wasn’t just this one tweet. If this had been her first and only time posting something stupid, then perhaps things might’ve been different, but it wasn’t. She’d also been tweeting and supporting things related to conspiracy theories about the Parkland students in the months prior to her firing, and had a history of posting other questionable/racist stuff as well. At some point the “just joking” excuse doesn’t really fly anymore. This tweet was just the last straw in a culmination of crappy behavior, and further proves how hollow her apology was, because she’s been making those kinds of comments for some time now.
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Granted, it’s fair to ask why ABC even agreed to bring her back in the first place, knowing she had that kind of controversial commentary in her history, but the fact remains that they did, and they ultimately decided in the end that she wound up being way more trouble than they may initially have thought she was worth, and they were right to make that decision. People are warned all the time in many jobs to be careful about what they post on social media, after all, lest their posts negatively affect their jobs or the company at large, so her firing isn’t really a surprise (now if only we could hold our president to the same standards other jobs do regarding this stuff).
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I hear people talk all the time the importance of taking personal responsibility for one’s actions, so it’s amazing to me how people still keep trying to blame Roseanne’s firing on everything under the sun except Roseanne herself. She put the tweet out. She’s the one with the questionable Twitter history and erratic behavior. It’s her fault and hers alone that she’s been fired. Period. End of story.
I think the station went over board Roseanne is a comedian they knew this .The new show will be a flop Roseanne was the attraction.The TV children can be replaced easily but not the star .
You know, I’m not sure but maybe a white person shouldn’t be the one determining how racist another white person is. I mean really what is the barometer.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.You don’t have to be a bird to tell a chicken from an ostrich.
ABC fired Roseanne because she is a Trump supporter. Roseanne is a comedian it is her life’s work is make fun and get us to laugh at ourselves. The new show was amazing and very current great shame on Hollywood and rest of the cast of the cast
Except what she said wasn’t funny, it was disgusting.
ABC fired Roseanne because she is a Trump supporter.
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Except they knew she was a Trump supporter when they agreed to bring her back in the first place, so…no. Try again.
They knew she supported Trump when they brought the show back, Mary, so you can you explain why you are claiming they fired her for something they already knew about? Trump fanatics have such a persecution complex, what a bunch of crybaby wannabe victims. You are everything you accuse the other side of being.
No, chicken, they KNEW she was a Trump supporter when she signed on. This isn’t a change of heart about that. It’s that her behavior afterward was reprehensible and there were certain things she said that would reflect badly on ABC if they had continued to employ her. Also, what she said? It wasn’t comedic – it was hateful.
Bigotry isn’t funny. It’s vile and it’s hurtful and it is the epitome of ignorance.
Theres no show to watch. ROSEANNE is why we watched the show. I won’t watch the conners it will just be another liberal show with a bunch of snowflake BACKSTABBING libby actors shoving sick morally bankrupt agenda
bunch of snowflake BACKSTABBING libby actors shoving sick morally bankrupt agenda
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This description seems more fitting for Trump and his cronies.
If you had watched this season you would have found it very liberal as well, so that doesn’t watch. Also Disney doesn’t like twitter and past uses of it( see James Gunn) so take it up with the Mouse House
Actually, I watched it for Darlene, so not having Roseanne around just means more screentime for my favorite character. I’m not mad.
Television in general must be a rough time for you. Thoughts and prayers.
Morally bankrupt? There is only one group I know like that and it’s not liberals.
The deeply nuts Barr was why people DIDN’T watch the show (and would never watch the show). It was cancelled because she’s disgusting and totally nuts, which you’d have to be to support her.
Well then I must be totally nuts because I support her all the way!!!! To bad you are to blinded by your jealousy and political b******t to see someone who is real and does not lie!!!! You probably voted for Hillary!!!!
I never watched the remake because I couldn’t stand her. Now that ‘she’s’ gone I plan on giving the new show a chance, there are a lot of quality actors/actresses in it.
Sorry, John, but your “fact” is wrong on the face of her tweets. I’m sorry your fee-fees were hurt, but your depression cannot be a determiner in whether to take a despicable person off the air.
At first, I was also mad and thought Roseanne was a real b***h for saying such a thing and glad she was dropped from her show. But then I thought about it more and realized that other celebrities have made similar comments and they weren’t dropped from their shows. I think a lot of the anxiety and hurt that came from the cast had a lot to do with Roseanne getting fired from her show. I will watch the new show The Connors, but I don’t know if it will do as well without Roseanne. Only time will tell.
Ah too bad! Better off without her..
John Goodman WAS depressed because he was out of work after show cancelled. He had better watch who he supports or he may be out of work again
Don’t bother. It is a one season and done show. It would be canceled and then ABC have to go with the dream sequence again.
Racism is now, has been, and always will be a fact of the human condition. No matter how hard you may try to deny, like bad weather always around.
Doesn’t mean we have to be quiet about it when we see it. Even the fictional Roseanne wasn’t quiet in the face of racism.
Too bad her real life counterpart was a different sort of person…
I have no intent of watching without Roseanne. I have seen just as bad action by other ‘stars’ and they got a slap on the wrist. It’s not your stance, but who you work for. She’ll be back… Fox will pick her up after a cooling off period.
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They threw her under the bus. They just wanted to save their jobs. She shouldn’t have been fired. Maybe suspended without pay for awhile. If it weren’t for Rosanne, there would be no show!
Vile comments aside, she was arguably the worst actor on the show so I’m glad she’s gone..more room for laurie Metcalf
Yes, because the rest of the cast is so virtuous & perfect–not! I won’t be watching without Roseanne & I hope the reboot bombs– fast! Can’t stand Gilbert’, Goodman is the only classy one left in the bunch. The rest are just fillers.
Will not survive. The only one with any skill is John. Can’t stomach the no talent kids. Bye
It amazes me as I read the comments from people that act judge and jury! If John Goodman who has known Roseanne for 20 years says she is not a racist I believe him as he knows her personally. There was never an allegation of any cast member on Roseanne being a racist until this statement. This country has become so sensitive! She is a comedian. She talks about all people and all races! There have been so many worse statements made by people who still have their jobs! This comes down to politics just like everything else now!!