NEWSLaurie Metcalf Hasn't Spoken to Roseanne Barr Since Saying 'Goodbye' After Star Was Fired From ABC Over Racist Post: 'There's Nothing Controversial'
The two played sisters on 'Roseanne' for nine seasons.
April 29 2026, Published 5:40 p.m. ET
It's been awhile since Laurie Metcalf talked to costar Roseanne Barr.
In an interview with The New Yorker published on Monday, April 27, Metcalf, 70, revealed she hasn't been in touch with Barr, 73, for years. The pair notably played sisters on Roseanne for nine seasons from 1988 to 1997.
The revived ABC sitcom returned for a tenth season in 2018 but was soon canceled after Barr made a racist post comparing former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
'We Just Haven't Spoken'
The actresses are no longer in touch.
"There’s nothing controversial. We just haven’t spoken since we said goodbye at the end of the reboot," Metcalf shared.
When asked whether she was mad at Barr for "blowing up her own show," the actress replied, "I don't even know how to answer that."
Metcalf also told the publication she was "intimidated" by Barr initially because she was "self-made."
ABC fired Roseanne Barr for making a racist post.
Barr ultimately torched her career after making the offensive post in which she compared Jarrett to a character from the film Planet of the Apes.
In response, ABC said, "Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show."
In a subsequent interview, the controversial veteran comedian claimed God made her do it.
"The way I feel about it is that God told me to do what I did, and it was a nuclear bomb," Barr told Variety in a 2025 interview. "The day of my tweet, over 2 million Americans googled Valerie Jarrett and the Iran deal. And that was my intent. So, whatever."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
The comedian compared Barack Obama's former adviser to an ape.
Reflecting on the situation, she explained, "I had my laptop there in bed, as always, and I opened it, and there was [a post with] a picture of Valerie Jarrett next to Helena Bonham Carter in full makeup as Ari in Planet of the Apes, and they looked like Xerox copies of each other, so I captioned it."
Barr even called her words "perfect" despite the intense backlash she faced at the time. She also claimed to have thought Jarrett was white.
'I Got My Whole Life Ruined'
Roseanne Barr insisted she was unaware of Valerie Jarrett's African-American heritage.
Barr was outraged last fall when ABC let Jimmy Kimmel return to his late-night show following a brief suspension after he made controversial comments about Donald Trump and his slain supporter Charlie Kirk.
"I got my whole life ruined, no forgiveness and all of my work stolen and called a racist for time and eternity, for racially misgendering someone. It just shows how they think. It's a double standard," Barr ranted.
