John Goodman recently discussed the challenges of fame after his leading role in the iconic sitcom ‘Roseanne.’ During a conversation with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, the 74-year-old actor shared his feelings about the sudden attention he received. He admitted to being ‘frightened’ by the fame that followed his success in ‘Roseanne’ and other projects.
When asked about the pitfalls he wished he could have anticipated, Goodman expressed regret over not understanding fame better. ‘I wish I would have taken to it better,’ he said. ‘I didn’t. I was frightened. I’m my own worst enemy, by far.’ He acknowledged that fame didn’t come easily to him.
Earlier in the discussion with interviewer Joe Neumaier, Goodman was questioned about the rapid change in his career during the late ’80s and early ’90s. This transition marked his shift from a more independent actor to a major celebrity. ‘It changed,’ he said. ‘That’s when I was told, “You better get a publicist and get a hold of this stuff.” I just had a bad time dealing with how famous I got suddenly, saying, “Well, that ain’t me.”’
He continued, ‘It took a long time to deal with it, so I got that out of the way. The negotiations you have to go through and the things you have to do to sell a film are not ideal, but they need to be done. People put a lot of money into these things, and let’s help each other out.’
Goodman discussed how he agreed to do ‘Roseanne’ to have stability, saying he ‘hit it off with [Roseanne Barr] immediately.’ The show aired for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997, producing 222 episodes and winning four Emmy Awards. He contrasted it with ‘wealth porn’ shows like ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Dallas,’ stating, ‘We were sober reality.’
After ‘Roseanne,’ Goodman starred in several successful films, such as ‘The Flintstones,’ ‘The Big Lebowski,’ and ‘Monsters Inc.’ He returned as Dan Conner in the 2018 ‘Roseanne’ reboot, which lasted one season after being canceled due to a racist statement by Barr on social media. The cast then continued with a spin-off, ‘The Conners,’ which aired for 112 episodes.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2025, Goodman reflected on the show’s continuation. ‘I didn’t think [the ‘Roseanne’ reboot] was going to go beyond the initial five or six episodes,’ he said. ‘Roseanne got fired. I thought that was it, and then we got to do the show again as ‘The Conners.” He also mentioned that he and Barr had not spoken for about seven or eight years, noting, ‘I’d rather doubt if she wants to talk to me.’
In March 2025, Barr expressed her feelings of betrayal over Goodman’s decision to scale back his appearances in later seasons on her podcast, ‘The Roseanne Barr Podcast.’
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