What We Know About Tom Arnold's Sister
Tom Arnold moved to Los Angeles in order to serve as a writer and executive producer of "Roseanne," and was even married to the show's star, Roseanne Barr, for a time (via Celebrity Net Worth). Arnold's successful career has garnered him many accolades, including a Peabody Award and a Golden Globe Award. Outside of his career, he is very involved in charities, and is a father of two.
It's been quite the journey for Arnold, as he detailed in the Discovery+ documentary "Queen of Meth" (via the New York Post). When Arnold was 4, his parents divorced, so he, his little sister, Lori, and their younger brother, Scott, were raised by their father and stepmother. They grew up with two stepsiblings, followed by two more children their father had with his new wife. When Arnold was 15, he and Lori moved in with their mom. Arnold explained that this is "where everything changed" for them — especially Lori.
Arnold's mom wasn't around much and frequently drank. By the time Lori was 14, she had also started drinking and became involved with a 23-year-old man. Her stepfather said they had to break up, get married, or send the boyfriend "to jail for statutory rape," so the two wed. The marriage was over six months later, with Lori revealing her husband abused her and was unfaithful. "I don't want to say it ruined Lori's life, because she's strong now, she's doing well," Arnold said of his sister. Then he added that "it was the end of her childhood."
Tom Arnold's sister's story is being told on Discovery+
After the divorce, Lori turned to dealing drugs. Per "Queen of Meth" (via the New York Post), she was arrested in 1991 and again in 2001, spending a total of 15 years in prison for producing and distributing methamphetamine on a 170-acre ranch in Ottumwa, Iowa.
She was selling over 10 pounds of the drug each week, making at least $200,000 each time. She also had a car sales lot, 52-horse ranch, biker bar, Jaguar, and airplane, and she would buy homes and fix them up for residents in poorer areas. Many of Lori's businesses employed people in the working-class town, leading her to believe she "was doing good" and "helping people." Lori explained, "Cause I always like to help people and always protect the underdog and that sort of thing, you know? But now, after all these years, you know, you look back, you're like, it probably wasn't the greatest way to do that."
Tom Arnold's sister has since turned her life around. You can learn more in "Queen of Meth," which is now streaming on Discovery+.