Back in the day, Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold – who married in 1990 – were arguably one of the most high-profile couples in Hollywood. Not only were they romantically involved, but they were also business partners. Part of that collaboration involved working together on Barr’s eponymous sitcom, Roseanne (which is streamable with a Peacock subscription). In the decades since their divorce in 1994, Arnold and Barr have been open about their issues with one another. Yet, now, Arnold is going viral after being complimented by Barr.
Why Did Roseanne Barr Compliment Ex-Husband Tom Arnold?
On Roseanne, Barr and Arnold also worked with Chuck Lorre (and, yes, that Chuck Lorre). Now a prolific name in TV, Lorre was a writer and EP on Barr’s show, and he has rarely ever minced words about working with its lead actress. Lorre has shared more thoughts on Barr during interviews and in his newly released memoir, Sitcom. For instance, on the Dinner’s on Me podcast, Lorre claimed Barr hated having writers. Lorre also claimed she found the “premise of anyone putting words in a stand-up comedian's mouth is fundamentally flawed.”
Lorre ultimately worked on the show from 1990 to 1992 before being relieved of his duties. As for why he remained with the show as long as he did, the Big Bang Theory EP said he needed the money and did not want to go back to poverty. Tom Arnold eventually saw the comments and blasted Lorre on X and ended his post by musing that he wished “everyone could've seen his arrogant, sad clown face the day Roseanne made me fire him.”
Roseanne Barr eventually became aware of what Tom Arnold said, and the latter’s comments came up during a recent interview she did with The Hollywood Reporter, while talking about her new show and issues with The Conners. Upon being asked about her former spouse’s comments, Barr was complimentary (in her own specific way), saying:
Unbelievably — I don’t think you’ll hear me say this often — but Tom Arnold is telling the truth for once. Talk about the paradigm switch here. Tom Arnold is defending me. I have to thank him for that. That’s the first time he’s done something right by me in his fucking life. Thanks, Tom.
That some significant praise from the She-Devil star, to say the least. With that, Arnold posted a reaction to social media that’s since gone viral.
Tom Arnold Dropped A Viral Post After Seeing Roseanne Barr’s Praise
Arnold eventually returned to X to drop the other post, and it features a screenshot of Barr’s comments to THR. With that, the Tom Show alum said this:
Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. 33 years ago I predicted I would do something so cool my 1st X Wife Roseanne would be forced to say something almost nice about me. Hell finally froze over today.
I’m not sure if this was the kumbaya moment the public expected to get in 2026 but, hey, who am I to argue with it? Fans also seem to be surprised and happy, based on the comments of the post, which currently has nearly 10,000 likes. This all comes on the heels of Barr having a testy back-and-forth with fellow Roseanne alum Michael Fishman. That war of words resulted in Barr dishing out 13 f-bombs and eventually calling Fishman a “worm.” At this point, the former DJ Conner actor has seemingly moved on from the situation.
When it comes to Roseanne Barr’s personal relationship with Tom Arnold, I’m not sure the public should expect to see them make up any further. I suppose if anything, though, the former couple’s recent exchange might prove that sometimes people can surprise one another.
