Tom Arnold is tired of hearing that he should date someone his own age, and his answer is anything but flattering to them or to himself.
Tom Arnold has not been on a date in nearly a decade, and he is not exactly sweet-talking the people everyone keeps telling him to date.
The Iowa-born comedian, 67, who became a household name as Roseanne Barr’s husband in the early ’90s, told Page Six that his long dry spell comes with the same advice over and over. People keep telling him, he said, “You should date someone your own age.“
His answer was brutal: “Dude, have you seen people my age? We are freaking disgusting.“
By his own count, Arnold has not had a date in “nine and a half years” and has not had sex in about a decade, per Entertainment Weekly’s write-up of the interview. That is quite a confession from a man who has walked down the aisle four times: to Barr, Julie Armstrong, Shelby Roos and, from 2009 until their 2020 divorce, Ashley Groussman. He has called that last split amicable, telling People, “We definitely grew apart.“
Then came the twist. “But here’s the thing,” he said. “I have learned there’s a lot of funny, smart, sexy, 60-something women.” Arnold, who has been on the road with his nationwide My Crazy X-Wife comedy tour, seemed to make the case both ways at once, roasting his entire generation, himself included, before admitting the women in it might be worth calling after all.
The marriage that made him famous still follows him everywhere. Barr, his famously bitter ex, even took his side when Chuck Lorre’s memoir claimed Arnold got credit for Roseanne scripts he did not write: “Tom Arnold is telling the truth for once.” His reply: “Hell finally froze over today.“
The Internet Handed Him a Mirror
The replies did not take the joke the way he told it. The most-liked response flipped his line right back on him: “And women younger than him obviously think he’s disgusting.” The mirror crowd showed up in force: “Has he looked at himself in the mirror at all? Assuming he gets a reflection, of course.” His own generation answered back: “Thank you from the women your age, chief.” The cynics smelled a setup: “Rage bait mission complete, return to base!” And the old baggage came along for the ride: “Forever known as Roseanne’s ex husband.“
Not everyone piled on. The defenders read it as a gag: “It was obviously a self-deprecating joke.” Others blamed the framing: “He said everyone his age is disgusting, not just women.” And the romantics offered a gentler take: “One of the best things about getting older is appreciating that both bodies are changing. That’s the sexiest thing there is about aging.“
Four marriages, one legendary feud, and nearly a decade without a date. Tom Arnold’s love life is a punchline again, and this time, he wrote it himself.
