John Goodman Opens Up About How His TV Wife Helped Him Beat His Addiction

John Goodman was basically America's dad. His portrayal of Dan Conner made us all feel like he was the best dad in the world, and we all wished he was around for us like he was there for his kids.

However, in real life, Goodman has struggled with some really big issues that he has opened up about a fair bit. Goodman even credits his Roseanne costars as helping him come out on the other side.

Roseanne Barr is well know for her honesty and when it comes to her friends, she's not afraid to step in when they need it. When she saw that Goodman needed help, she was the one who confronted him all those years ago.

Goodman was struggling with alcoholism, and like so many others he didn't really realize that it was an issue until his friends made it clear that what he was doing was "hard to watch."

"She was scared for me, but she was more confrontational"

Goodman revealed that while filming the original run of Roseanne, his TV wife knew she had to step in. "She was scared for me, but she was more confrontational," Goodman explained. "She'd already had a husband go through the process."

Barr was married to actor Tom Arnold and he also struggled with alcoholism so she knew what she needed to do.

Barr stepped up to help Goodman, but he wasn't the only cast member that she was protective of...

She tried to play down her involvement, and explained that they've always been there for each other. "Me and John, we have a friendship off the show, too. John has held my head when I was barfing in a bar. I drank too much, too. I still do. I didn't give it up like John," Barr joked.

But while she's always joking around, in another interview she did say, "John is the funniest and deepest actor in the world. He has only gotten more open, more sweet, more expansive and giving, on-screen and off, if that were possible, since the Roseanne show."

Goodman has been sober for eight years now, but it has been an uphill battle. The last four years of Roseanne were becoming increasingly difficult. “I was drinking at work and [Barr] was scared for me. I was ashamed of myself, but I couldn’t stop.”

Barr helped Goodman realize that his behavior wasn't acceptable. He admitted that it wasn't even a preference of taste, instead he would just drink "anything that was wet and of a certain proof."

Barr was protective of the entire cast when they were filming, so it makes sense that she would try to help out Goodman. She also revealed that her TV daughters had some issues as well and she was right there for them.

“I was pissed at everybody,” Barr said. “Like, I found out the crew was letting Sara Gilbert smoke pot with them and I was f–king furious over that. I called her mom, I called everybody’s mom. Lecy [Goranson] was having trouble, too. I called her parents. I’m Jewish and I’m a mother. What do you want?”

I guess if you have Roseanne Barr as your TV mom or wife you've got to know that she's going to look out for you. Could you imagine how embarrassing it would be to have her call your mom?

Source - Entertainment Weekly / The Guardian