Roseanne Barr says she was LIVID when The Conners offered her a bizarre role to help boost ratings
ABC revived the 72-year-old comedienne's iconic 1980s/1990s sitcom Roseanne back in 2018, bringing back the original cast of characters in the fictional Lanford, IL.
The original show ran nine seasons from 1988 to 1997, and is widely considered one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.
ABC brought the show back for a 10th season in 2018, and while it was renewed for an 11th, the network quickly reversed their decision after Barr tweeted that former Barack Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett was an 'ape.'
After ABC called the tweet, 'abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values,' they ultimately cancelled Roseanne and brought forth a new show, The Conners, which revealed in the series premiere that Roseanne's character had died from a drug overdose.
Now Barr is revealing in her Roseanne Is America documentary - available on DVD and digital formats - that ABC actually wanted to bring her back as a 'ghost' guest star at some point during The Conners' run.
'They called me and asked me if I would like to come back as a guest star. You're coming back as a ghost,' Barr revealed.
The comedienne added, 'You're asking me to come back to the show that you f***ing stole from me and killed my a**, and now you want me to show up because you got s**t f***ing ratings and play a ghost?'
She added in the film that she turned down the request by telling the network, 'I'm gonna be bowling that f***ing week.'
Barr also commented on how her character was killed off in the show mirrors the real-life death of Glenn Quinn, who played Becky's (Alicia Goranson) husband Mark Healy on the original show, and died from an accidental overdose in 2002.
'Within three weeks, they revived the show as The Conners, and of course they killed off my character Roseanne in an opioid overdose,' Barr said in the documentary.
'Which was staggering because Glenn Quinn, who played Becky's husband, actually died of an opioid overdose,' she added.
The show would go on to reveal that her overdose came as she was struggling with addiction that was exacerbated by knee pain and insufficient medical coverage.
The Conners ran for seven seasons on ABC, coming to a close in late April with the finale, which surprised many fans since it didn't include any footage of Roseanne at all, despite multiple clips from the original show with other characters.
Executive producer Dave Caplan explained to Deadline, 'It was contractual,' regarding Roseanne's absence in the finale.
Another executive producer, Bruce Helford, added, 'She was very gracious in allowing us to continue the show because she had a say in that.'
He added of her exit from the show, 'When she realized it would be putting 300 people out of work when the initial reboot was canceled, she gracefully allowed us to continue without her.'
'It really was about these people. This show was really about the lives of these other people in the family, the Conners, and we wanted to focus on them,' he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The psychological impact of growing up with a unique name - as Trisha Paytas names her son Aquaman
From Elon Musk 's sons X Æ A-12 and Techno Mechanicus, to Nara Smith's children Rumble, Slim Easy, and Whimsy Lou, there is no shortage of celebrity kids with unique names. But as influencer Trisha Paytas names her third son Aquaman Moses Paytas-Hacmon, psychologists have revealed why this might not be a good idea. From your choice of job to how likely you are to get a date, your name can influence more of your life than you might expect. Psychologists call this effect 'nominative determinism', and it is the theory that we are drawn towards life choices that match our names. When surnames first emerged in the 11th century, they were often a simple reflection of someone's career - with names like Hunter, Smith, or Baker. Nominative determinism takes this a step further and argues that someone called Baker really is much more likely to find themselves working in a bakery. However, it is bad news for children who end up with highly unusual and unique names. Studies suggest that people with unpopular names often end up less happy, worse off, and more dissatisfied with their lives. One of the simplest ways that your name might affect your life is by influencing the kind of career you gravitate towards. Psychologists attribute this to a phenomenon called 'implicit egoism', which is the idea that we prefer things that remind us of ourselves. In 2024, researchers from the University of Utah said that this could be why people disproportionately end up in careers which start with the first letter of their own name. For example, their study found that someone called Dennis is more likely to be a dentist while someone called Lawrence might be more likely to become a lawyer. This same effect could explain why Agatha Christie ended up as an author or why Ariana Grande has been spending more time acting than singing recently. People also tend to live in places which match their names, which should mean that London has more Lawrences and Lisas than Arthurs and Alices. That might mean Aquaman could be destined to take up a career in acting and live in Austin, Texas. However, having an unusual name comes with its own set of drawbacks. Some psychologists believe that our names are so key to our identity that having a bad one can have serious psychological impacts. In 2006, a pair of researchers from the University of Michigan found that people who didn't like their names were less well psychologically adjusted. Looking at siblings to control for factors such as background and childhood, people with lower rates of name satisfaction had lower self-esteem, life satisfaction, and spent more time unhappy. The researchers suggested that this was either because disliking their name caused lower self-confidence or their lower self-confidence caused them to dislike their name. In addition to affecting how you see yourself, your name also has a big impact on how others see you. Your name is the first thing most people learn about you and affects both how warm and competent others see you as being. A 2018 study from Syracuse University in New York found that the names Susan, Thomas, Madeline, Kathleen, and Felicia were seen as both warm and confident. Alvin, Duane, Rex, Roy, Mercedes, Vicki, and Trenton, on the other hand, were seen as having low warmth and confidence. Likewise, a study looking at hundreds of thousands of names conducted by the Institute of Psychology in Beijing found that people with names seen as less popular or having more negative connotations were more likely to commit crimes. Experts have warned about the rise in names with violent associations, which could mean bad news for Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly's son Saga Blade. Similarly, a German study conducted in 2011 found that people with unfashionable names were more likely to be rejected on dating apps. However, if you are willing to take a risk, having an unusual name could also have some benefits. Another study by the same team at Beijing's Institute of Psychology found that people with a rare name were more likely to have an unusual career such as a filmmaker, actor or judge. That might mean Nicholas Cage's son Kal-El Coppola Cage stands a good chance of following in his father's footsteps. Speaking to BBC Science Focus, lead author Professor David Zhu said: 'Early in life, some people may derive a sense of unique identity from their relatively unique names. 'Parents need to find ways to help the child appreciate his or her uniqueness, perhaps by giving the child a special nickname or frequently affirming the child's unique characteristics.' However, some studies have shown that unusual names can also be associated with increased creativity and higher chances of having an unusual career. That could be good news for Nicholas Cage's son Kal-El (pictured right) Likewise, some research even suggests that an odd name might help people become more creative and open-minded. Researchers at Arizona State University examined the names of CEOs at over a thousand US firms. They found that the rarer the CEO's name, the more distinctive their business strategy tended to be. That could mean Trisha Paytas' children, Malibu Barbie, Elvis, and the newborn Aquaman, might be more creative than your average John or Jane Doe. HOW DOES YOUR NAME IMPACT HOW OTHERS PERCEIVE YOU? A number of studies have found that our names change the way people judge our personality, age and more. In a study published May 8, scientists at Syracuse University in New York asked 500 university students to rate 400 popular names spanning 70 years. Questions came in the format: 'Imagine that you are about to meet Samantha. How competent/warm/old do you think she is when you see her name?' Scientists used their results to assess which names were perceieved as being competent, warm, or a combination of the two. Below are the results: Warm and competent names Ann, Anna, Caroline, Daniel, David, Elizabeth, Emily, Emma, Evelyn, Felicia, Grace, James, Jennifer, John, Jonathan, Julie, Kathleen, Madeline, Mark, Mary, Matthew, Michael, Michelle, Natalie, Nicholas, Noah, Olivia, Paul, Rachel, Samantha, Sarah, Sophia, Stephen, Susan, Thomas, William Warm but less competent names Hailey, Hannah, Jesse, Kellie, Melody, Mia Competent but less warm names Arnold, Gerard, Herbert, Howard, Lawrence, Norman, Reginald, Stuart Names of low warmth and competence
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Gwyneth Paltrow sparks suspicion among fans after debuting 'altered' new look
It is the question on everyone's lips - has Gwyneth Paltrow done something to hers? The 52-year-old shared a recent video to Instagram showing herself making breakfast for husband Brad Falchuk - but it wasn't the steak and eggs that caught people's attention. In the clip, which the actress said was her take on Korean steak and eggs, Paltrow prepared the meal, heavily pouting as she did so. And fans were quick to comment on the Goop Founder's appearance. 'Is there something with her lips?' asked one, while another chimed in asking: 'What have you done on your lips?' One fan declared: 'Something happened to her top lip.' 'Mmmmm looks so yum. But don't tell me you've done your lips too,' wrote another. 'The lips! Why?' snarked someone else. In 2023, the actress admitted to her Instagram followers during an Instagram Q+A session that she has had Botox - which has been both 'successful and unsuccessful.' The Goop Founder was asked by one of her fans: 'Did you ever try botox?' responding on her Instagram stories. In response to the question, she wrote: 'God yes. Both successfully and unsuccessfully I'm afraid.' The star has been open throughout the years in regards to her skincare as well as her opinion when it comes to aging. While talking to Refinery29 in 2020, the Iron Man actress revealed, 'In the past, I've never said that I won't do plastic or cosmetic surgery, because I think it's important to stay honest to the fact that we all change as we age.' She recalled having a 'mid-life crisis' when she turned 40, getting anti-wrinkle injections 'all over' her face. 'It was awful,' she declared. 'I looked horrible - one eye was actually like higher than the other - and it was definitely a big mistake, though luckily a temporary one.' Earlier in the week, the Shakespeare in Love actress shared a video showing her making a salad, with disgusted followers pointing out she had her hair out, risking it falling into the food In May, the 52-year-old also revealed the great lengths she goes to to stop her hair from falling out. The actress revealed she has tried a handful of treatments over the years, including injecting her scalp. She said: 'So many women I know are quietly dealing with hair loss. I've tried a handful of treatments over the years, nothing seemed to move the needle – not even injecting my scalp with actual needles.' The latest treatment she has tried involved a plastic surgeon and a device that uses acoustic sound waves and air pressure to stimulate hair growth. Discussing how the treatment has worked for her, she said: 'It was completely painless. Honestly, I think my hair's already feeling a bit fuller.' Paltrow's cooking videos - which she has dubbed 'boyfriend breakfast' - have seen the actress come under fire recently, with viewers noticing untidy kitchen habits. Earlier in the week, the Shakespeare in Love actress shared a video showing her making a salad, with disgusted followers pointing out she had her hair out, risking it falling into the food.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Shallow Hal actor dies aged 70 after being hospitalised for two months as his family pay tribute
Shallow Hal star Rene Kirby has died, aged 70. The actor died on July 11 after being hospitalised for two months with infections as well as problems with his esophagus, kidneys and bladder, his brother Jon Kirby has said. He died at the University of Vermont Medical Center, as reported by Vermont publication Seven Days. He had previously battled throat cancer with his treatment including removal of his larynx meaning he had lost his ability to talk in recent years. Rene had a memorable role in the 2001 movie Shallow Hal, playing Walt, who like Rene had no use of his legs due to spina bifida. Rene's acting career also included a role in the 2003 film Stuck on You as well as one episode of the TV show Carnivàle. Rene was born with more than a foot of his lower spine missing whilst his spine was detached from his pelvis and his legs never developed. He found himself sharing the screen with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow when he bumped into Hollywood director Peter Farrelly in 1999. Farrelly was in Rene's hometown of Burlington, Vermont shooting Me, Myself & Irene starring Jim Carrey. The director bought Rene a beer and after a night of talking, he had decided to cast Rene in hius next film, recalling in a 2001 interview: 'He's got a zest for life that is contagious and he's extremely funny.' Farrelly wrote a part for Rene in Shallow Hal, which he and his brother, Bobby, co-wrote and co-directed. The film was about looking beyond outward appearances so Farrelly deemed it a perfect fit for the acting newcomer as Rene 'epitomizes inner beauty.' Rene's acting career also included a role in the 2003 film Stuck on You as well as one episode of the TV show Carnivàle Rene was the second son of Don and Janet Kirby and had six siblings. His parents pushed back on doctor's recommendations to use a brace to stretch their baby son's legs, instead encouraging him to reach for his bottle. By the age of one Rene was walking on his hands. As a teenager he won state titles in gymnastics before working for IBM for 20 years.
