The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre reveals his time on Roseanne was "malice"

The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre has opened up about his bitter experience working as a writer for the hit ABC sitcom Roseanne. Lorre, who also created Two and a Half Men, spoke about his time on the show during the latest episode of Dinner's on Me hosted by Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

When Ferguson asked Lorre about how he handled the sitcom's chaotic writer's room, Lorre explained that he had no option left. He was not ready to slip back to poverty. He said (via Variety),

"That is why I put up with it. 60-, 70-hour weeks every week. And it was malice. It was absolute.”

Roseanne originally ran from 1988 to 1997 on ABC. It was revived in 2018 and cancelled the same year after Roseanne Barr's racist tweet controversy. Barr attacked former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett with offensive remarks. She later apologized to Jarrett and announced that she would be leaving social media. Shortly after the apology, Roseanne's consulting producer, Wanda Sykes, tweeted that she will not be returning to the show. Eventually, the show was cancelled.

Here's more about it.

Chuck Lorre said Roseanne Barr "hated that there were writers"

According to Chuck Lorre, Roseanne Barr didn't quite like the fact that there were writers for the sitcom. He said,

"Barr hated that there were writers. Fundamentally hated that other people wrote words that she would say."

Barr began her career as a stand-up comedian before creating the character Roseanne Conner for the ABC sitcom. The character was largely inspired by Barr herself. She also bagged the Emmys for the role. Lorre explained that Barr's background in stand-up comedy also shaped her approach to the show. She was accustomed to writing her own jokes rather than relying on the writers. Lorre said (via Variety):

"She made herself a superstar based on her words, her writing. Then transition to a television show where you can’t do it alone. It’s impossible. That transition was not going to happen."

According to Entertainment Weekly, Chuck Lorre said that there was a built-in animosity between Rosie and the writing staff. It did not matter who was on the writing team. He added that putting words in a stand-up comedian's mouth is fundamentally flawed, saying only a few comics are able to do it.

Lorre only worked as a writer for two seasons of Roseanne. He then created his first sitcom, Frannie's Turn, which was canceled before it aired a full season. Lorre then went on to create shows including Grace Under Fire, Cybill, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, and The Kominsky Method, to name a few.

This is not the first time that Lorre has opened up about his bitter experience in Roseanne. In an interview with the Archive of American Television in 2012, he recalled Barr hating one of his scripts. Lorre said it was a volatile environment.

Roseanne Barr claimed she fired Chuck Lorre in a 2011 blog

Barr also claimed responsibility for Lorre's exit after two seasons. In a 2011 blog, she wrote that she fired Lorre. According to a Deadline report, she wrote:

"I fired Chuck Lorre for being a big drunk on my show, and he went on to become one of TV's most successful writers (about d**k jokes)"

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