NEWSChuck Lorre Says Roseanne Barr’s 'Malice' Toward Writers Made Her 'Impossible' to Work With on Hit Sitcom
Chuck Lorre got candid about working on 'Roseanne' in the '90s.
Oct. 7 2026, Published 12:11 p.m. ET
Famed TV producer Chuck Lorre is lifting the lid on what it was like to work with comedian Roseanne Barr.
The Two and a Half Men creator, 73, stopped by Jesse Tyler Ferguson's podcast “Dinner’s On Me" recently, where he looked back on the Roseanne star's behavior on set of her eponymous '90s sitcom.
Chuck Lorre Worked on 'Roseanne' for 2 Seasons
'Roseanne [Barr] hated that there were writers,' Chuck Lorre said.
Lorre was a writer and an executive producer on Roseanne — which originally aired on ABC from 1988 until 1997 — for two seasons.
According to the director, Barr, 73, had a lot of "malice" toward her writing staff during the show's run.
Roseanne Barr Didn't Like Having Writers on Her Eponymous Sitcom
'Roseanne' aired on ABC from 1988 until 1997.
“Roseanne hated that there were writers. Fundamentally hated that other people wrote words that she would say,” Lorre said on the podcast.
The She-Devil actress and “any writing staff” of hers had “built-in animosity," according to The Big Bang Theory creator.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Chuck Lorre was a writer on the show from 1990 until 1992.
“It was the premise of other people putting words in a stand-up comedian’s mouth. It’s fundamentally flawed,” he went on. “There’s very few comics that can do that.”
Lorre then explained that because Barr became a star through her comedic chops, she apparently struggled with handing over power when they were working on her show.
Chuck Lorre Refused to Quit the TV Series
Chuck Lorre noted he chose not to leave 'Roseanne' because he was still early on in his Hollywood career.
“She made herself a superstar based on her words, her writing,” he said. “Then transition to a television show where [you] can’t do it alone. It’s impossible. That transition was not going to happen.”
Despite the tense behind-the-scenes drama in the writer's room, Lorre was hesitant to quit as he was still early on in his filmmaking career.
“I navigated because I’d had, I don’t know, 15, 20 years of poverty and health issues and all sorts of stuff, and I was not going to go back,” he confessed.
'Roseanne' Was Briefly Revived by ABC in 2018
Roseanne Barr was fired from her sitcom in 2018.
“Under no circumstances was I going to go back to scrambling to pay the rent," the Dharma & Greg producer explained. “That is why I put up with it. 60, 70-hour weeks every week.”
Roseanne was revived by ABC in 2018 and ran for one season, as it was then canceled after Barr made racist comments about Barack Obama's former staffer Valerie Jarrett.
As a result, the network rebooted the show once again without Barr's involvement called The Conners, which aired for seven seasons until 2025.
Back in 2011, Barr alleged in a post she “fired” Lorre “for being a big drunk on my show," adding his "lines could choke a f------ horse, and render any actor who recites them stone cold soul dead.”
