It was the chemistry that defined a generation of sitcom TV. Watching Roseanne Barr and Laurie Metcalf play sisters Roseanne and Jackie was like peering through the window of a real Illinois ranch house. They fought. They hugged. They screamed over the laundry. It felt so authentic that, decades later, people are still asking the same question: are Roseanne and Laurie still friends?
The short answer is complicated. Hollywood isn't always like the neighborhood bars we see on screen.
The Chemistry That Wasn't Just Acting
For nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997, Laurie Metcalf and Roseanne Barr were inseparable on our screens. They weren't just coworkers; they were the pillars of a show that changed how the working class was portrayed. While Roseanne was the brassy, loud-mouthed center of the universe, Laurie’s Jackie was the neurotic, lovable, and often chaotic foil.
They grew up together in the industry. During the height of the show's success, the cast was famously tight-knit. They had to be. Roseanne was known for having a "me against the world" mentality when dealing with network executives, and the cast often functioned as her frontline soldiers. You don't spend a decade in the trenches of a high-pressure sitcom without forming a bond that feels like family.
But then, the show ended. And as anyone who has ever left a job knows, work friends don't always stay life friends once the daily routine evaporates.
The 2018 Revival and the Twitter Storm
To understand where they stand now, we have to look at the 2018 revival of Roseanne. It was a massive hit. The ratings were astronomical. For a few months, it felt like 1992 all over again. Laurie Metcalf, fresh off an Oscar nomination for Lady Bird, stepped back into Jackie’s sensible shoes without missing a beat. The magic was still there.
Then came the tweet.
In May 2018, Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to Barack Obama. ABC didn't hesitate. They canceled the show within hours. This wasn't just a professional setback for the cast; it was a personal earthquake.
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Suddenly, hundreds of crew members were out of work. Laurie Metcalf, John Goodman, and Sara Gilbert were left standing in the rubble of a franchise they had spent thirty years building. This is where the question of whether are Roseanne and Laurie still friends gets really messy.
Silence Speaks Volumes
When the fallout happened, the silence from Laurie Metcalf was deafening. Unlike some other celebrities who might jump on social media to air their grievances, Laurie is notoriously private. She doesn't have a public Twitter or Instagram where she posts her morning coffee or her political opinions. She’s an actor's actor—she does the work and goes home to her family or the theater.
However, the transition from Roseanne to The Conners (the spin-off created after Roseanne was fired) told us everything we needed to know about the professional rift.
Roseanne Barr has been vocal about feeling "betrayed" by her former castmates. In various interviews, including a notable sit-down with Dr. Oz and her own social media videos, Roseanne expressed deep hurt that her TV family didn't stand by her more aggressively. She specifically called out the "betrayal" of those she had helped make wealthy and famous.
While she didn't always name Laurie specifically in every rant, the umbrella of her frustration covered everyone who stayed on for The Conners.
What Laurie Metcalf Actually Said
Laurie is a class act. She rarely bites. But in a 2018 interview with People, she admitted that the cancellation and the subsequent transition to The Conners was "painful." She described a period of mourning for the show and the character of Roseanne.
"I'd known her for 30 years," Metcalf once noted. That’s a long time. You don't just turn off those feelings because of a PR disaster.
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But there is a clear distinction between "loving someone" and "being friends with someone." Being friends implies hanging out, calling each other, and sharing lives. From all available evidence, that stopped in 2018. Laurie chose the work. She chose the legacy of the Conners and the livelihoods of the crew over a public defense of Barr’s actions.
The Reality of Hollywood Friendships
We often make the mistake of thinking actors are exactly like their characters. We want Jackie and Roseanne to be sharing a pot of coffee in a kitchen in Lanford.
The reality? They are two very different women.
Roseanne Barr has spent the last several years leaning into her role as a political firebrand and an outsider. She lives on a macadamia nut farm in Hawaii. She focuses on her podcast and her stand-up.
Laurie Metcalf lives for the stage. She is a titan of the New York theater scene, winning Tonys and seeking out complex, dramatic roles.
Their worlds don't overlap anymore. When Roseanne was asked by the Daily Mail about her former co-stars, she was blunt. She said she could never forgive them. "They destroyed my life's work," she claimed. That doesn't sound like someone who is still trading Christmas cards with Laurie Metcalf.
Is There Any Path Back?
People love a reunion. We want the "oops, we're sorry" moment. But in the case of are Roseanne and Laurie still friends, the bridge seems to have been burned from both ends.
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- The Professional Divide: The Conners is currently one of the most successful sitcoms on television. To have Roseanne back in the fold—even personally—complicates the brand that Laurie and the rest of the cast are working hard to maintain.
- The Personal Hurt: Roseanne feels abandoned. Laurie likely feels that the show's legacy was put at risk by Roseanne's choices. Those are two very different versions of the same story.
- Geography: Hawaii vs. New York/LA. They simply aren't in the same circles.
The Verdict
If you're looking for a heartwarming story about two sisters reuniting, you'll have to stick to the reruns on Cozi TV or Peacock.
In real life, Laurie Metcalf and Roseanne Barr are essentially estranged. They are tied together by a legendary piece of art, but the personal bond has fractured under the weight of controversy, public firing, and very different life paths.
They aren't "enemies" in the sense of a Hollywood feud where they throw drinks at each other in restaurants. It's more of a profound, quiet absence. They are two people who shared a significant portion of their lives together and now have nothing left to say to one another.
How to Navigate Celebrity News Like a Pro
Understanding the nuance of celebrity relationships requires looking past the headlines. If you want to keep track of these dynamics, here are the best steps to take:
- Watch the Credits: Notice who producers are on new projects. Actors often hire their real friends as producers or guest stars. Laurie Metcalf has not appeared on Roseanne's podcast, and Roseanne is obviously not on The Conners.
- Check the "Actor's Equity" Style Interviews: For actors like Laurie Metcalf, look at theater-focused publications like Playbill or The Hollywood Reporter's "Roundtables." They tend to give more honest, less "gossipy" insights into their professional relationships.
- Follow the Creators: Sometimes the writers of these shows (like Bruce Helford) provide more context on the "vibe" on set than the actors themselves are allowed to share.
- Separate Character from Person: Always remember that the "sisterly love" you see in Season 4 of Roseanne was a performance. While it was based on real chemistry, it was still a job.
The story of Roseanne and Laurie is a reminder that even the strongest bonds can be tested by the pressure of the spotlight. Sometimes, the most respectful thing two people can do is move on separately.
To stay truly informed about the cast of The Conners and their ongoing projects, focus on official press releases from ABC or verified interviews in Variety rather than speculative social media threads. This ensures you’re getting the facts of their professional lives without the noise of manufactured drama.
The legacy of their work remains intact, even if the friendship does not. You can still appreciate Jackie Harris while acknowledging that Laurie Metcalf has moved into a new chapter of her life—one that doesn't include the woman who played her sister.
The best way to honor that history is to support the work they both continue to do in their respective, very separate, arenas. Whether it's Laurie on Broadway or Roseanne on the comedy circuit, they both remain formidable talents, even if they're no longer doing it side-by-side.