Tom Arnold was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, to Linda Graham and Jack Arnold, and his life took a dramatic turn when his parents divorced, leading him to be raised by his father. In 1983, he discovered his passion for stand-up comedy by performing at open microphone nights at the University of Iowa, marking the beginning of his comedy career.
Over the next several years, Tom's comedy career experienced its fair share of ups and downs until 1988, when he entered the Minneapolis Comedy Competition and emerged victorious, taking home first place. This triumph gave him the confidence to make the bold decision to move to Los Angeles to pursue a stand-up comedy career.
Once in Los Angeles, Tom's career accelerated rapidly. The same year he won the competition, he was hired as a staff writer for Roseanne Barr's TV sitcom Roseanne (1988) and began to appear regularly on the show as "Arnie Thomas". His success on the show led to him and Roseanne Barr getting married in 1990, with Tom converting to Judaism prior to the ceremony.
The couple's marriage, marked by their outrageous behavior, attracted significant media attention, particularly from the tabloids. However, their relationship eventually deteriorated, and they went through a very public and acrimonious divorce in 1994.
Since then, Tom has been married twice and has continued to work in the entertainment industry. He is currently the co-host of Fox Sports Net's talk show The Best Damn Sports Show Period (2001) and has also done voiceover work, providing the voice for the "Oven Mitt" character in TV commercials for the Arby's restaurant chain.
