Former Sitcom Star Roseanne Barr’s Dramatic Hollywood Transformation: Then and Now

Roseanne Barr started off her career performing stand-up on late-night talk shows. It wasn’t long before she landed her hit sitcom, Roseanne, on ABC. Playing Roseanne Conner for nine successful seasons, the mother of five sported a variety of different looks in front of the cameras. Rosanne has undergone a dramatic transformation more than two decades later.

Roseanne became one of the most popular shows on television from ​​1988 to 1997. Roseanne picked up the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy Award in 1992. She won a Golden Globe Award the following year for Best Television Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series. In between working on the sitcom, Roseanne wrote a book, Roseanne — My Life As a Woman, and starred in her first film, She-Devil.

In 2018, Roseanne was revived on ABC with the original cast returning to reprise their roles. The premiere of season 10 drew in 18.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen. The series revival was such a success that ABC renewed the show for an eleventh season. Season 11 was canceled two months later due to Roseanne’s Twitter controversy. A spinoff show called The Conners was announced, with the original cast returning minus Roseanne. She gave up her rights to the series and her character was killed off.

“I regret the circumstances that have caused me to be removed from Roseanne,” the actress said in a 2018 statement. “I agreed to the settlement in order that 200 jobs of beloved cast and crew could be saved, and I wish the best for everyone involved.”

Since then, Roseanne has not taken on any other scripted film or television roles. She often posts photos with her five children and her grandkids on social media to keep fans in the loop on her life. Over her years on television and beyond, Roseanne has undergone a noticeable makeover. She has done everything from dying her hair blonde to embracing the gray. The actress has also opened up about her weight loss journey. 

“I just want to keep getting healthy and let go of excess baggage to carry around, so I’m lighter on my feet and in my life,” she said in a 2014 interview on Today. 

Scroll below to see Roseanne’s dramatic makeover over the years. 

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1987

Before she became the star of her own sitcom, Roseanne attended the 1987 American Comedy Awards. She went with a simple black jumpsuit look and popular teased hair trend of the ‘80s.

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1990

Roseanne found tremendous success on network television. She sported a mullet hairstyle and dark lipstick on the set of Roseanne.

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1990

Roseanne married costar Tom Arnold in 1990. She wore a traditional white dress with a simple white bouquet. The pair divorced in 1994.

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1994

A newly single Roseanne sported bangs and a bow on her head for a photoshoot while season 6 of her show was airing.

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2001

The comedian stepped out in New York for a Lane Bryant fashion show. She wore a cheetah print coat with fur accents and showed off a new bob hairstyle.

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2005

The Master of the Good Name star turned heads with her new blonde locks at the Roseanne DVD launch party. It was then that she reunited with the original cast of the sitcom.

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2008

Roseanne embraced her natural gray hair on the red carpet at the TV Land Awards. She wore a knee-length black cocktail dress and accessorized with matching gloves.

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2012

During her Comedy Central roast, Roseanne showed up in a silver lace ensemble with a chiffon overshirt. She wore black lace gloves and a pair of cat-eye frame glasses as she gave peace signs to the cameras on the red carpet.

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2014

The Momsters: When Moms Go Bad host threw some curls in her hair for a casual red carpet appearance. Her cheetah print gloves were the star of the show.

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2015

Roseanne opted for an old Hollywood-inspired look at a charity event. Her blonde hair was cut short and pinned back behind her ears.

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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

2018

Roseanne walked the red carpet at the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards. The Utah native flashed a smile in her floor-length gown.

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Courtesy of Roseanne Barr/Instagram

2020

After the Twitter controversy, Roseanne began posting selfies on social media. She wore her long gray hair in waves as she smoked a cigarette.

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Courtesty of Roseanne Barr/Instagram

2021

Roseanne shocked the world with her dramatic makeover as she posed in a cheetah print figure-hugging dress.

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