NEWSSarah Chalke Reveals Roseanne Barr Accused Her of Age Deception During Audition
Sarah Chalke revealed Roseanne Barr questioned her age during her audition when she was just 16.
Feb. 25 2026, Published 8:00 a.m. ET
In a candid conversation on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's “Dinner's on Me” podcast, Sarah Chalke revealed that Roseanne Barr accused her of lying about her age during her audition for Roseanne.
Chalke, now 49, recounted the experience of auditioning to take over the role of Becky Conner from Lecy Goranson, who had left the show to pursue college.
Sarah Chalke said Roseanne Barr accused her of lying about her age.
Chalke, who was only 16 years old at the time, detailed the intense audition process. She explained that she was flown to Los Angeles to audition with Glenn Quinn, who played Mark, Becky’s husband. "There were seven of us — it was me and six other women. And they were all 21," she said. Chalke felt out of place as a young girl from Canada among seasoned actresses living in Los Angeles.
Sarah Chalke was 16 when she auditioned for 'Roseanne.'
Her audition with Barr was memorable and somewhat daunting. "The audition was, like, on the infamous couch," she recalled. During the audition, Barr asked, "How old are you?" Chalke responded, "I'm 16," only to be met with Barr's incredulous follow-up, "How old are you actually?"
Roseanne Barr asked her twice how old she really was.
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Chalke expressed her surprise at Barr's suspicion. "It would never have occurred to me to lie about my age," she emphasized. Her youth positioned her as a "wild card" among the older actresses, raising concerns that she might leave for college.
Tom Arnold, Barr's ex-husband and cast member, personally called Chalke to discuss her collegiate aspirations. "Tom Arnold called me at my house and was like, 'What about college?'" Chalke recounted.
She reassured him, "Yeah, no. No college. No college for me," clarifying her commitment to pursuing the acting opportunity.
Despite landing the role, Chalke faced a four-month wait to confirm her casting due to the show's hesitation about recasting. Eventually, she received the call to join the cast, stating, "Yeah, we're going to do it. Come down."
Sarah Chalke insisted she would never lie about her age.
Chalke portrayed Becky in seasons six and seven of Roseanne. Goranson returned for the eighth season, but Chalke stepped in for three episodes due to Goranson's scheduling conflicts. Chalke returned for the entirety of the ninth season, with Goranson reprising her role for the tenth season.
In 2018, Chalke also appeared in the Roseanne spinoff, The Conners, as a character named Andrea.
