November 2, 2026, 4:08 p.m. ET
John Goodman may ignore what others say about his weight loss, but his own reflection always surprises him.
“I’m still trying to get used to my face,” the “Roseanne” actor, 74, said on the Nov. 2 episode of Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast.
The topic came up as Goodman looked back on his four seasons as televangelist Dr. Eli Gemstoneon HBO’s “The Righteous Gemstones.” Horowitz asked if anything in the comedy series ever seemed to go too far. Goodman remembers thinking that maybe he should appear naked in a scene and deciding he wanted to keep his clothes on.
“My body is so damaged from losing all this weight,” he recalls.
Horowitz said he hesitated to ask about Goodman’s weight loss because he didn’t want to hear people talk about his own body that way. Goodman, who lost about 200 pounds, told her he considered that kind of attention “fair game to a point” for someone in his job. “I don’t know,” the actor said.
When asked if his weight limited his opportunities as an actor, Goodman thought back to his early days in New York. He remembers he weighed about 225 pounds when he arrived. The “Flintstones” star said he found enough work at the time, but wondered if he had “sabotaged” himself with his weight gain.
John Goodman remembers weighing nearly 400 pounds
In a previous interview with the New Yorker, published in October, Goodman opened up about her weight loss journey. After he stopped drinking in 2007, he recognized some of his old drinking habits in the way he ate. He said his weight reached nearly 400 pounds and he eventually had stomach surgery.
“I was losing 60 pounds in one summer, gaining it all back. Seventy pounds, 80 pounds. And it was getting tiring,” Goodman said. “I took steps to not have to do that anymore. I weighed almost 400 pounds.”
Shopping for clothes is an adjustment Goodman has appreciated. He told the Sunday Timesthat he still considers himself a bigger man, but he likes being able to walk into a store and buy something off the shelf.
John Goodman on ‘Digger’ Failure: ‘It Hurts’
In the same episode of “Happy Sad Confused”, Goodman also spoke about the failure of “Digger”, which exploded at the box office and received mixed reviews. The “Big Lebowski” actor, who starred opposite Tom Cruise, said the way the film was received “hurt” and that the negative press hurt ticket sales.
“It kind of killed us before we opened,” he said. “‘It’ll only make $5’ and that’s a good reason for people to avoid it.”
Goodman, however, said he remains “proud” of the film, which he believes will last “for a long time.”
Contributors: Amaris Encinas and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
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