Tom Arnold says he is ready to love again after a decade without sex.
The comedian and actor, 67, said in an exclusive red-carpet interview that he spent nearly ten years avoiding romance partly because he found women his own age “disgusting.” Arnold, who is currently on his nationwide “My Crazy X-Wife” comedy tour, has begun revising that view after meeting fans on the road.
“I used to say, people are like, because I haven’t had a date for nine and a half years, ‘You should date someone your own age.’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, have you seen people my age? We are freaking disgusting,'” he admitted.
“But here’s the thing. I have learned there’s a lot of funny, smart, sexy, 60-something women,” Arnold added.
The “True Lies” star made his comments while attending Cure Addiction Now’s 3rd Annual Fundraising Evening, where he appeared despite dealing with a broken back. He was greeted at the event by CAN founder Nancy Davis alongside other supporters of the organization’s research initiatives targeting substance use disorder.
Arnold has been married and divorced four times. He shares two children — Jax, 13, and Quinn, 10 — with his most recent ex-wife, Ashley Groussman. He said that he hopes to eventually meet someone he feels proud to introduce to them, acknowledging that his past romantic decisions have let his kids down.
“I think, one of these days, it will happen,” he said.
The comedian quickly noted that his situation presents obstacles. Most women, he joked, are not “looking for a guy that used to have a lot of money and now has two little kids.”
“They are like, ‘Forget that. That is not what I’m looking for,'” he quipped.
When asked directly whether he is serious about wanting to fall in love again, Arnold answered simply.
“Yeah,” he said. “It would be good to love somebody and be loved.”
Arnold’s romantic dry spell coincided with a turbulent health journey that derailed his long-term sobriety. He began drinking at 12 and using drugs after high school, but had accumulated 19 years clean before a 2008 motorcycle crash broke his back. First responders administered fentanyl at the scene.
“Oh, that’s [what] I’ve been looking for,” he recalled thinking immediately after the shot.
A year later, the “Hit and Run” actor was preparing to accept his 20-year sober cake with a friend when he realized he was still on pain medication from the crash.
“So I had [to] start over. That’s what you do,” he concluded.
Arnold now says he no longer considers himself fully sober because he used prescription drugs during surgical recoveries, though he maintains what he described as a strong support network.
“I have a sponsor, I have my guys, gangs, and they know what the deal was,” he explained.
The women he meets after his shows have become an unexpected source of encouragement in that struggle.
“After the show when people are coming back, they will talk about being clean and sober, or trying to get sober,” he shared.
Despite his renewed openness to dating, Arnold emphasized that he does not feel desperate. His children and close friends provide enough fulfillment to sustain him.
“I love my kids so much,” he continued. “That’s a lot of love there. And my buddies. But I’ll be okay. You know, I’ve had four marriages.”
Arnold’s most famous marriage was to Roseanne Barr, now 74, from 1990 to 1994. He worked as a writer and producer on her hit sitcom “Roseanne” until she fired him in 1994, the same year their divorce was finalized. Their split followed a volatile period that Barr addressed in court filings, where she described herself as “a classic battered and abused wife” and accused Arnold of physical and emotional abuse throughout their marriage. She wrote that he had “successfully lowered my self-esteem and reduced me into the realm of battered wife syndrome.” Arnold has continued performing and touring in the decades since, with his current stand-up run drawing audiences willing to engage with him on deeply personal topics.
The Cure Addiction Now event that brought Arnold to the red carpet supports research into innovative treatments for substance use disorder while working to reduce associated stigma. The organization funds what it describes as cutting-edge research and its clinical translation through collaborative programs.
Arnold’s comedy tour continues as he navigates both his health challenges and his evolving perspective on late-in-life romance.