A Ghost from ABC’s Past
In her new documentary, “Roseanne is America,” Roseanne Barr has revealed that she declined an offer to appear as a ghost on the show “The Conners” after the revival of “Roseanne” was canceled.
“They called me and asked if I would come back as a guest star. You’ll be back as a ghost,” said Barr, now 72, in a statement from director Joel Gilbert. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, remarking, “You’ve asked me to come back to me and steal from me and kill my ass.”
Barr explained her reasons for rejecting the invitation, but she didn’t go into specifics.
ABC was contacted for comments regarding her claims.
Initially co-creator and star of “Roseanne,” which aired from 1988 to 1997, Barr’s show offered a glimpse into a middle-class household with conservative inclinations. The series was revived in 2018, with Barr reprising her role as the titular character.
However, despite solid ratings initially, the show was axed after just one season due to Barr’s controversial tweet about former presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett. Former ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey criticized Barr’s comments as “abhorrent,” stating they did not align with the network’s values.
Since the incident, Barr has claimed that she felt divinely inspired to send her tweet and suggested that ABC had been monitoring her communications, alleging they were trying to silence her for her support of Donald Trump.
Following the cancellation of “Roseanne,” ABC reimagined the concept into “The Conners,” which featured Barr’s character meeting her end via an accidental opioid overdose.
In her documentary, Barr remarked, “Within three weeks, they revived the show as ‘The Conners.’ Of course, they killed my character Roseanne with an opioid overdose. This was significant because Glenn Quinn, who played Becky’s husband, actually died from an opioid overdose.”
The series “The Conners” ended in April after seven seasons. In the finale, Dan (John Goodman) attended a hearing concerning the family’s wrongful death lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company over Roseanne’s demise. The family later visited her grave, reflecting on her absence.
Executive producer and showrunner Bruce Helford admitted he was apprehensive about referencing Barr in the final episode, stating, “I have to say, I was a little nervous because there was so much backlash about her not being on the show.” Meanwhile, co-producer Dave Kaplan added that ignoring Barr’s character entirely would have felt “really wrong” and would have been unfair to the audience.
