Roseanne Barr says ‘The Conners’ reoffered her role as ‘ghost’

Roseanne Barr says she was asked to return to The Conners, but she didn’t hold back about why she declined the offer. 

In her new documentary Roseanne Barr Is America, the 72-year-old comedian claimed that producers reached out to her about a guest appearance, even after her character had been killed off. 

“They called me and asked me if I would like to come back as a guest star,” she said. “You’re coming back as a ghost.”

Barr explained she was shocked by the request, especially considering the circumstances under which she exited the franchise. 

“You’re asking me to come back to the show that you f***ing stole from me and killed my a*s, and now you want me to show up because you got shit f***ing ratings and play a ghost?” she recalled. “I’m gonna be bowling that f***ing week.”

Barr originally starred in Roseanne, the sitcom she co-created, from 1988 to 1997.

The series returned for a 10th season in 2018, but ABC pulled the plug later that same year after Barr made controversial comments on social media.

Following the backlash, ABC released a statement from then-Entertainment President Channing Dungey, saying, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values.” 

The network removed all promotional material related to the revival, and Viacom pulled reruns of the show from its platforms.

The show was rebranded as The Conners, which ran from 2018 to 2025, and continued with Goodman, Metcalf, and Gilbert reprising their roles. 

Barr’s character was written out offscreen, reportedly dying of an accidental opioid overdose after struggling with chronic pain and limited access to healthcare.

In a 2023 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Barr admitted she couldn’t bring herself to watch the spin-off. 

“I just can’t bear it, so I don’t [watch],” she said. “When they killed my character off, that was a message to me, knowing that I’m mentally ill or have mental health issues, that they did want me to commit suicide.”

She added, “They killed my character. … And all of that was to say thank you for bringing 28 million viewers, which they never had before and will never see again. Because they can kiss my a*s.”

Despite her strong words for the network, Barr showed support for her former co-stars. 

“I just wish ABC had not thrown two of the greatest actors in the world out with me — Laurie and John,” she wrote on X in 2018. “I’m so sick over this — they will never have better character actors on their network.”