John Goodman Says He Was ‘Very Uncomfortable’ After Roseanne Barr’s Racist Tweets

John Goodman opened up about defending Roseanne Barr when she posted a racist tweet in 2018. 

Barr’s tweet was an attack against Valerie Jarrett, a former chief executive officer of the Obama Foundation. The irresponsible tweet caused major backlash and many to lose their jobs after ABC canceled her comedy show, Roseanne.

After canceling the long-running sitcom, ABC decided to air a spin-off later in the same year called The Connors, in which Barr’s character, Roseanne, is killed off.

In a recent interview with Variety, Goodman was asked if he regrets speaking up for Barr.

 “No. At the time I remember going to some kind of junket where they saw the pilot, and then the interviews, and it just turned into attack,” he said. “And that made me very uncomfortable with them just attacking Roseanne. “

The Golden Globe winner also explained that he “felt bad for her” and that he “loves her.” 

“She’s just her own person,” he said. 

However, when he was asked if he would work with her again, Goodman wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know. If she’d liked to… I just don’t know. I miss her, ” he said. “I wish her well.”

In 2014, Goodman told Garden & Gun that he’s “had it with show business” and wanted to get away from Los Angeles, prompting the Big Lebowski actor to move to New Orleans. Nine years later, Goodman admits that he’s “rarely there” as he spends most of his time in Charleston, South Carolina. 

The 71-year-old has previously considered retiring but he “enjoys acting so much” that “it wouldn’t kill [him]” to do “one or two things a year.” 

Currently, Goodman plays Dan Conner in The Connors and Dr. Eli Gemstone in HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones.