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Laurie Metcalf is shedding light on her relationship with former co-star Roseanne Barr years after the “Roseanne” reboot was rocked by the actress’s firing.
During a recent interview with The New Yorker, Metcalf, 70, revealed that the two haven’t been in contact since the revival series was canceled in 2018 following Barr’s abrupt departure.
“There’s nothing controversial,” Metcalf said. “We just haven’t spoken since we said goodbye at the end of the reboot.”
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Roseanne Barr’s former co-star Laurie Metcalf revealed that the two haven’t spoken since the “Roseanne” revival was canceled in 2018. (James Devaney/Getty Images; John Nacion/WireImage)
On “Roseanne,” Barr, 73, played Roseanne Conner, the outspoken matriarch of the working-class Conner family, while Metcalf portrayed her younger sister, Jackie Harris. The hit sitcom originally ran for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997. In 2018, Metcalf and Barr reunited for a revived 10th season of “Roseanne,” along with other main cast members from the show’s original run.
The nine-episode season debuted on ABC in March 2018, and the show was quickly renewed for an 11th season after the success of its premiere episode. However, Barr was fired from “Roseanne” in May 2018 after she tweeted a racist remark about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to former President Obama.
Though Barr issued several apologies for her remarks, ABC announced the cancellation of the “Roseanne” reboot hours after the tweet was posted.
“Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” President of ABC Entertainment Channing Dungey said in a statement at the time.
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Metcalf and Barr, seen with Natalie West, played on-screen sisters in the sitcom. (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
While speaking with the New Yorker, Metcalf was asked if she was “angry at Barr for blowing up her own show.”
“I don’t even know how to answer that,” Metcalf said.
Along with starring in “Roseanne,” Barr developed the sitcom with producers Matt Williams and Tom Werner, and it was built around her stand-up comedy.
Recalling the first time she met Barr, Metcalf admitted, “I was intimidated by her, because she was self-made.”
However, Metcalf and Barr quickly hit it off, which was reflected in their on-screen dynamic.
“On the page was a very strong sister relationship, which Roseanne has in real life,” she said. “So my jumping-off point was to try to show that bond and then hit the jokes.”
The two reunited for the “Roseanne” revival in 2018. (Adam Rose/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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“Roseanne” became an instant hit following its premiere in 1988. However, Barr clashed behind-the-scenes with producers and writers, including Williams, over the direction and tone of the show. Barr took issue with Williams’ being credited as the show’s sole creator, saying the show was built around her life and comedic voice.
The tensions between the two led to Williams leaving after the first season. Barr later gained more influence and was credited as a creator in later seasons.
Metcalf told the New Yorker that she sided with Barr in her fight for more creative control.
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“I saw somebody refusing to settle for anything, and it had her godd— name on it, and she knew what she wanted,” Metcalf said. “And I saw her being right by far the majority of the time.”
In June 2018, ABC announced it would move forward with the “Roseanne” revival, which was retitled “The Conners.” The show returned in October of that year and featured every original cast member except Barr, whose character’s disappearance was explained by an off-screen death.
“The Conners” aired for seven seasons. (© 2018 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Metcalf said it was initially difficult for members of the cast to proceed with the show without Barr.
“There was just a general sadness around the whole place,” she said.
“The Conners” ran for seven seasons and aired its final episode in April 2025.
Last year, John Goodman, who played Barr’s husband, Dan Conner, in “Roseanne,” reflected on his relationship with the actress.
During a July 2025 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the 73-year-old actor revealed he and Barr “haven’t talked for about seven or eight years.”
“I’d rather doubt if she wants to talk to me,” Goodman shared.
Barr’s on-screen husband, John Goodman, previously revealed that he also hasn’t spoken to the actress in years. (John Goodman/Roseanne Barr)
During an interview with Fox News Digital in June 2025, Barr admitted she doesn’t speak to any of her former “Roseanne” co-stars.
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“No, I’m not friends with none of them,” the comedian said. “They’re all in the past. I have pleasant memories of what fun we had, wish them all the best. And, no, we don’t talk. I’ve moved on from that horrendous ending and chapter of my life, but, you know, I don’t hold any bitterness or nothing to them, but my God, what fun we had on that show.
“And I was sorry they f—ed it all up with their greed and ridiculous stupidity to f— all that up. F— them, but I wish them well,” Barr added.