The Conners followed a working-class family navigating life, love and parenthood following the death of their matriarch, Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr), but in real life, many of the cast members have kids of their own.
A spinoff of ABC’s Roseanne, the series featured several familiar faces, including John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson and Michael Fishman — all of whom reprised their original roles for some, if not all, of the seven seasons. Fans were also introduced to newcomers to the franchise, Katey Sagal, Emma Kenney and Jay R. Ferguson.
In April 2025, the series came to an end with an emotional sendoff that emphasized the Conner clan’s generational connection, strength and resilience.
“It feels like family, and because we did it for so many years, it’s sort of deep in our soul,” Gilbert told PEOPLE at the time of saying goodbye to the show. “And so that is hard to imagine being without.”
Although some characters did not return for the final season, including Fishman and original cast member Johnny Galecki, there was one exciting guest star: Metcalf’s real-life daughter, Zoe Perry.
“They had such good time together; it was so much fun,” executive producer Bruce Helford told Variety about the mother-daughter duo on set. “The mannerisms are so in sync. It’s wild to watch two of them. It was really fun.”
Here’s everything to know about the children of The Conners cast.
01 of 07
John Goodman’s daughter
Eric Charbonneau/Getty
Anna Beth Goodman, John Goodman and Molly Goodman seen at John Goodman honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, March 10, 2017, in Los Angeles.
John Goodman plays the family patriarch, Dan Conner, a recent widower and dad to Darlene (Gilbert), Becky (Goranson) and D.J. (Fishman). Off-screen, however, Goodman is a happily married father of one.
The actor married his wife, Anna Beth Goodman, in November 1989. In 1990, they welcomed their daughter, Molly Evangeline, whom they raised in New Orleans.
“I’d had it with showbusiness, publicity, tabloid stuff – I’d just had it. I kind of wanted to get her, my daughter, away from that,” he told The Guardian in April 2015.
Molly seemed to follow in her father’s footsteps with a career in Hollywood, and has worked as a set dresser and production assistant on multiple shows, including The Conners.
02 of 07
Laurie Metcalf’s 4 kids
Theo Wargo/Getty
Mae Akins Roth, Laurie Metcalf and Zoe Perry attend Miscast 2018 Honors Laurie Metcalf at Hammerstein Ballroom on March 26, 2018 in New York City.
In The Conners, Aunt Jackie has no kids of her own, but unlike her character, actress Laurie Metcalf is a mom of four.
She welcomed her daughter, Zoe Perry, in 1983 with her first husband, actor Jeff Perry. The couple divorced in 1986 but maintained a close friendship.
Metcalf also shares three children with her second husband, Roseanne costar Matt Roth, whom she married in 1993. That same year, the pair welcomed their first child, son Will.
Their daughter, Mae Akins Roth, was born in June 2005. In 2006, they became parents to a second son, Donovan, whom they adopted after fostering him that same year. The couple continued co-parenting following their divorce in 2014.
While Will and Donovan have opted to stay out of the spotlight, Metcalf’s two daughters have both followed in her footsteps. Mae is an actress and singer, while Zoe is an actress. Most notably, she played a younger version of her mother’s character, Mary Cooper, on The Big Bang Theory spinoff, Young Sheldon.
Zoe also made a guest appearance in the final season of The Conners.
03 of 07
Lecy Goranson
Robin L Marshall/Getty
Lecy Goranson.
Throughout The Conners, Becky navigates an unexpected pregnancy, single motherhood and learning to balance work and parenting, but actress Lecy Goranson seems happy on her own.
Although she keeps her personal life out of the spotlight, Goranson said she was excited to portray the complex nature of her character’s maternal journey.
“Being a parent is probably the biggest thing you can do as a person, and when you’re not feeling like your life is together, that’s pretty hardcore,” she told Entertainment Tonight in 2019. “So, it’s just another way that Becky really has to toughen up.”
04 of 07
Sara Gilbert’s 3 kids
Sara Gilbert/Instagram
Sara Gilbert.
Like her character, Darlene, Sara Gilbert is a mother herself. The actress shares two children with her former partner, writer and producer Ali Adler, and one child with her ex-wife, singer Linda Perry.
Gilbert and Adler welcomed Levi Hank Gilbert-Adler in October 2004 and Sawyer Jane Gilbert-Adler in August 2007. The couple split in 2011 after 10 years together.
In March 2014, Gilbert and Perry got married and, a year later, on Feb. 28, 2015, they welcomed son Rhodes Emilio Gilbert Perry. After six years of marriage, the couple split, and in 2024, their divorce was finalized. Still, they have remained close friends and co-parents to son Rhodes.
In an April 2022 interview with Lemonada Media, Gilbert spoke about whether she would allow her children to follow in her acting footsteps.
“I can’t say that I would be 100% opposed. If they wanted to do it. I definitely had a good experience myself,” she said. “But I’d be more likely to encourage them to do it in their schools and just be passionate in that way and start their careers later for numerous reasons.”
05 of 07
Emma Kenney
Emma Kenney/Instagram
Emma Kenney and her dog.
Actress Emma Kenney portrayed Darlene’s daughter, Harris Conner-Healy, on the show. Off-screen, she is currently dating Conrad Hilton, the younger brother of Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton.
Although Kenney doesn’t have any children of her own yet, she is a proud dog mom to several pups.
06 of 07
Jay R. Ferguson’s kids
Mike Windle/Getty
Lorena Ruiz and actor Jay R. Ferguson attend the AMC, BBC America, IFC And SundanceTV Emmy After Party on September 20, 2015 in West Hollywood, California.
On The Conners, Jay R. Ferguson plays Ben Olinksy, Darlene’s second husband and step-father to her two kids. In his real life, though, Ferguson shares children with his wife, Lorena Ruiz.
The actor prefers to keep his private life out of the spotlight, so the names and ages of his children are not publicly known. However, he has spoken about prioritizing fatherhood, particularly when it comes to his career.
In a 2015 interview with Esquire, he explained that while he used to be more selective about his roles, now he is focused on providing for his family.
“I ended up passing on a lot of things that, if it was today’s Jay, I would have done it in a heartbeat,” he said. “Today’s Jay likes to work. He doesn’t have boundaries or standards that will keep him from doing anything. Now I’m a family man. I have to provide.”
07 of 07
Katey Sagal’s 3 kids
Tara Ziemba/Getty
Sarah Grace White, Kurt Sutter, Katey Sagal and Jackson James White attend the Peggy Albrecht Friendly House’s 27th annual awards luncheon on October 29, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California.
In the series, Katey Sagal plays Dan’s second wife, Louise, a woman with no kids of her own, but in real life, the actress is a mom of three.
She married her ex-husband, the late actor and drummer Jack White, in 1993, and the couple welcomed their daughter, Sarah Grace White, a year later on Aug. 7, 1994. They went on to welcome a son, Jackson James White, on March 1, 1996. Sagal and White split in 2000.
In 2004, Sagal married actor and producer Kurt Sutter. A few years later, the actress became a mom again at the age of 52 when she and Sutter welcomed Esmé Louise Sutter, who was born via surrogate on Jan. 10, 2007.
“Being a mother has been my greatest teacher and also the most self-sacrificing thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never loved anybody the way I love my children,” she told CNN in 2009. “Everything was different once I had kids. Your whole perspective on the world changes.”
Now that they’ve grown up, Sagal’s two older children have followed in her footsteps. Sarah has acted in shows like Grey’s Anatomy and The Rookie, while Jackson is the lead on Hulu’s Tell Me Lies.
Read the original article on People
