Laurie Metcalf Admits She 'Didn't Know' “Roseanne” 'Dad's Dead' Scene Would Stay Relevant More Than 30 Years Later
Laurie Metcalf Admits She 'Didn't Know' “Roseanne” 'Dad's Dead' Scene Would Stay Relevant More Than 30 Years Later
Virginia ChamleeMon, June 1, 2026 at 2:29 PM UTC
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Laurie Metcalf
Credit: TheStewartofNY/WireImage; PeacockTV
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Laurie Metcalf is recounting her most viral scene in the television series, Roseanne
In a new interview, she spoke about the scene in which her character, Aunt Jackie, attempts to call a hard-of-hearing relative to tell her that her dad has passed away
"I didn't know that it would be what it is today," she said of the scene
Laurie Metcalf is reminiscing about a scene from a 1993 episode of Roseanne that's since gone viral.
Metcalf, 70, spoke on the Thursday, May 28 episode of the Happy Sad Confusedpodcast about the scene, which came in the season 5 episode, "Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home,' when Metcalfe's character Aunt Jackie attempts to call a hard-of-hearing relative to tell her that her dad has passed away.
As Jackie tries to at first gently explain the situation, she grows frustrated as she continually has to raise her voice and repeat herself, finally yelling, "Dad's dead!" before hanging up the phone.
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Laurie Metcalf, Roseanne
Credit: PeacockTV
The scene has gone viral in the years since it first aired.
"I knew that the bones of it were great," Metcalf said of reading the scene for the first time. "All I had to do was not mess it up, you know, because you do feel — in front of a live audience — that way. And with four cameras positioned between you and the audience, you feel like, 'I have to nail this.' "
She continued: "I have to, 'cause you know they're not going to want to see take two, three, four, and five, and it's not going to be as funny."
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"So, it got a great laugh and Roseanne was perfect in setting it up and then coming in at the end ... in her comic way. But I didn't know that it would be what it is today, that we're talking [about it all these] years later," she added.
The scene first aired on Feb. 9, 1993, and led to Metcalf's nomination for an Emmy that year, for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy.
She ultimately won the honor, marking the second year she was recognized at the awards show for her role as Jackie.
Metcalf was cast as Jackie Harris in 1988. Roseanne was anchored by comedian Roseanne Barr, 73, who played Jackie's sister.
The original series ran until 1997, and it returned in the spring of 2018 for a 10th, successful season. The show was cancelled after that season, when Barr posted a tweet comparing Barack Obama's former adviser Valerie Jarrett to an ape.
ABC later brought the series back as The Conners while killing off Roseanne's character, who died of an opioid overdose.
Metcalf said in a recent interview that she has not spoken to Barr since the show was cancelled, telling The New Yorker: “There's nothing controversial. We just haven't spoken since we said goodbye at the end of the reboot.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
