John Goodman joined Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night to discuss his new ABC series, The Conners, and his former co-star Roseanne Barr.
After Barr posted a racist tweet about former Barack Obama aide Valerie Jarrett earlier this year, ABC canceled her hit rebooted sitcom, Roseanne, after just one season and announced a new series centered on Goodman’s character and the rest of the family. Goodman previously spoke about the scandal with the U.K. Times in August, saying, “I know for a fact that [Barr] is not a racist.” The actor said that her tweet about Jarrett left him “heartbroken,” but that he was “surprised” that ABC canceled the show.
When asked by Kimmel if he knew the show would continue without Barr, Goodman answered monosyllabically: “No.” When asked if he wanted the show to continue, he was equally curt: “Yes.”
Given his long working history with Barr, Goodman was asked how it felt to do the spinoff series without her. “She is missed, definitely. After that many years, it’s like a family. Last year was so miraculous and so unreal that when it went away it was almost like a dream,” Goodman said.
The actor said that after the controversy with Barr he “crashed for a couple weeks.”
In order for The Conners to exist, Goodman thanked Barr. “She gave up a lot so that people could work,” he said.
Kimmel then asked if Barr’s character’s exit is explored on the new show, to which Goodman promised it would be. “Same family, minus mom,” he said.
He also promised the exodus would be addressed on the show, though he couldn’t go into specifics. “They don’t like me talking about it,” Goodman said, referring to his network bosses.
