Several weeks ago, a photo that appeared to announce a reboot of Roseanne made its way to Facebook; there, the rumor took hold. Fans of the beloved 1990s sitcom were quick to get excited about a potentially reimagined series following the end of The Conners. Despite enthusiasm, it didn’t take long for them to question the authenticity of the poster. The upload proclaimed that Melissa McCarthy would take on the role of Roseanne Conner in a second reboot. The poster is a fake, complete with an AI-generated rendering of Melissa McCarthy and David Harbour as Roseanne and Dan Conner. The idea, however, is nothing new. The notion that Melissa McCarthy could possibly take on the role of Roseanne Conner was born seven years ago. A Reddit post might have inspired the reboot rumor

An AI-generated poster proclaims Melissa McCarthy will play Roseanne Conner

Streaming service providers love bringing back old shows, but it looks like Hulu is ready to leave Roseanne and The Conners in the past. A promotional poster circulating on social media suggested otherwise, though. A digital poster featuring Melissa McCarthy and David Harbour as Roseanne and Dan Conner began circulating on social media in July 2025, two months after ABC aired the final episode of The Conners. The post claimed that a reimagined reboot would be available on Hulu in October.

Fans of the original series debated whether or not the post was real, with several pointing to key red flags as evidence that it was fake. One fan noted that a show due to premiere in October 2025 would have been heavily marketed by this point. Another pointed out the clear AI-generated photo. Still, another noted that nothing related to the alleged series appeared in either actor’s IMDb profiles.

The rumor of a ‘Roseanne’ reboot might have been inspired by a seven-year-old Reddit post

AI-generated photos have led to a bit of an uptick in fake TV announcements and entertainment news. While rumors have always been common, it’s become easier than ever to fake evidence. No matter how hard or easy it is to fake a rumor, it has to get its start somewhere. This particular Roseanne reboot rumor appears to have gotten its inspiration from a Reddit post from seven years ago.

Back in 2018, around the time Barr made a racist comment on X (formerly Twitter) and was written out of The Conners, a Reddit user asked what would happen if Roseanne Barr were replaced by Melissa McCarthy in the reboot. The post didn’t gain a ton of traction. Still, a few fans did comment. One commenter even dreamt up an entire storyline in which McCarthy married a widowed Dan Conner. In the scenario, Dan was still portrayed by John Goodman. David Harbour was not mentioned in the original post.

In a far more popular post following Barr’s firing, a user suggested swapping in a new actor and never mentioning it. The suggestion was in reference to the original series’ treatment of Becky Conner’s character. One fan suggested Melissa McCarthy was a good option, with several others agreeing. It seems possible that the original rumor stemmed from these two Reddit musings.