PHOTOSWhy Did Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr Divorce? Inside the Ex-Couple's Saga
Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr's marriage crashed and burned in 1994. Here's a look back at the drama that surrounded their relationship.
Oct. 25 2025, Published 12:44 p.m. ET
Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr Married in January 1990
Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr were married for four years.
Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr still have plenty to say about each other decades after their divorce.
The ex-couple first met in 1983 when Arnold opened for her in Minneapolis. In 1989, Barr — who was still married to her first husband, Bill Pentland, at the time — hired him to be a writer on her eponymous ABC sitcom.
Just four days after the comedian finalized her divorce from the motel clerk, Barr and Arnold exchanged vows in a house near Benedict Canyon on January 20, 1990.
"We were crazy in love. Trust me. Roseanne filed for divorce at the end of the 1994 season. This memo addresses my presence at the end of year cast & crew photo. We got back together 10 days later," the True Lies actor reminisced in a January 2020 Instagram update.
They held a second wedding ceremony on June 23, 1991.
Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr Worked Closely Together
Tom Arnold said Roseanne Barr is 'not even close' to being his craziest ex-wife.
Throughout their four-year marriage, Arnold and Barr teamed up on and off the cameras.
In 1993, they bought a property in Iowa and opened Roseanne and Tom's Big Food Diner nearby. They also costarred in the 1993 film The Woman Who Loved Elvis.
According to reports, they were building a mansion near Eldon when they abandoned it after their split. The Sons of Anarchy star apparently donated the project to a local college afterward.
Roseanne Barr Filed for Divorce From Tom Arnold After 4 Years of Marriage
Roseanne Barr cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their divorce.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
In 1994, Barr filed for divorce from Arnold after four years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
She also said in her petition for a restraining order, "I now realize that I have been a classic battered and abused wife. Throughout our marriage the respondent hit me, struck me, has thrown objects at me, pinched me and verbally abused me."
According to the Chicago Tribune, the divorce papers listed the date of their separation as April 15, 1994 — the day they allegedly argued violently on the set of Roseanne.
Months later, they closed their Iowa restaurant.
Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr Have Repeatedly Talked About Each Other After Their Divorce
The ex-couple reflected on their marriage and split several times.
Arnold and Barr have unceasingly exchanged tirades in the years after their divorce.
In 1995, the Backfield in Motion star dropped a sexually charged joke about her ex.
"I've had the Tom Arnold touch, and, let me tell you, what he lacked in size he made up for in speed," she said at the time.
Although she was on a gag order, the She Devil star clarified, "I can't say nothin' about him, but I can tell jokes."
The following year, Arnold attempted to take a shot at his ex-wife and her plastic surgery while at the Golden Globes. However, he had trouble getting the words out when he was announcing an award category.
Tensions rose further as they bickered nonstop on The Howard Stern Show in 1998 and during their reunion on Comedy Central's Roast of Roseanne in 2012.
"Rosie, this is true — she actually had 'Property of Tom Arnold' tattooed on her hip, which made me the fourth largest property owner in California," roaster Arnold said of the comic.
They also aired their grievances on X, then-Twitter, in 2013.
Although they have had brief periods of peace, Arnold again spoke about Barr when he reflected on Roseanne's cancelation in 2018.
"It had to happen," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "And I am going to tell you the truth, she wanted it to happen, if you saw how her tweets escalated this weekend. If it hadn't happened yesterday, this season would have been so awful for everyone every day because she would have felt like she was [being] taken advantage [of], just like when I left the show."
He echoed similar sentiments on X, alleging ABC execs "figured out a way" to control him after he called out Barr and her "dangerous tweets."
During a June 2018 appearance on Good Morning Britain, the great Buck Howard actor said Barr was "obviously" a racist. He added she hated Donald Trump and supported Hillary Clinton in the 1990s.
"It turns out she's a huge Donald Trump supporter," he continued. "We've known Donald Trump for 30 years, so that surprised me. You know, I see her social media, she's one of those conspiracy people. There's a lot of them in America. Our president, he's a racist. I mean, he feeds into this conspiracy stuff — there's so much anxiety in our country. So I read her social media and I'm like, 'Oh my God. She thinks that Donald Trump is about ready to arrest Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama, send him to Guantanamo.'"
Tom Arnold Revealed the 'Worst Thing' Roseanne Barr Did
Tom Arnold has also repeatedly blasted Roseanne Barr following their divorce.
Over three decades after their divorce, Arnold revealed the "worst thing" Barr ever did.
"People say My Crazy X-Wife [comedy tour], oh I know which one that is. It's Roseanne,'" he said. "And I'm like, 'she's not even close to my craziest ex-wife because we didn't have kids together.' The worst thing she did was go on Saturday Night Live and say I have a three-inch p----, which is confidential information. You take that to the grave."
Arnold added, "Even a 747 looks small when it flies over the Grand Canyon."
