Tom Arnold Denies Chuck Lorre's Claim That He Made Writers Put His Name On 'Roseanne' Scripts: "Never"

Tom Arnold has denied a claim in Chuck Lorre's new memoir. Lorre writes that writers on Roseanne were told to put Tom's name on scripts as if he had written them. Arnold told Entertainment Weekly that he never put his name on a script he did not write. He said he and Roseanne Barr talked through ideas, then the writing team built the episodes. He also said he told Lorre that every writer should get a script credit each year, because credits mean more pay.

Roseanne ran from 1988 to 1997 and was one of the biggest sitcoms on US television. Arnold was married to Barr and worked as a producer in seasons three to six. Lorre was a writer and producer on the show before he created hits like Two and a Half Men. The memoir, called Sitcom, has led other actors to respond. Anna Faris and Jaime Pressly have also spoken about how Lorre described them. Writer Danny Jacobson backed Lorre's account.

Credit for writing decides pay and reputation in TV. Arguments like this show how hard it can be to prove who wrote what.