In an emotional reflection, former child star Michael Fishman opened up about his feelings concerning the dramatic cancellation of the 2018 “Roseanne” reboot. Fishman, who spent his formative years playing DJ Conner, the iconic show’s titular character’s son, had to confront the sudden ending that gripped fans and Hollywood alike.
Taking to social media to address the lingering controversy, Fishman commented on the highly publicized firing of Roseanne Barr. The actress faced intense backlash and was ultimately removed from her self-created revival series following a series of contentious tweets.
A message appearing in an Instagram video this past Monday sparked further discussion: “The reboot got canceled because Roseanne made the usual jokes a comedian makes, but America chose to turn its back on her,” it stated, accompanied by a reel for context.
The post delved deeper, stating, “At the time, the rise of LGBTQ activism and so-called ‘woke’ culture began dismantling whatever it could. Roseanne became a target for criticisms when she continued with her edgy comedic style. Ironically, despite allegations of racism, her past jokes never seemed to draw any notice.”
Responding candidly on camera, Fishman addressed the situation with weariness. “This is not new to me. Daily, I receive such ignorant and inaccurate comments,” he expressed, visibly fatigued by the persistent narrative.
“Mostly, I try to ignore them. For over eight years, I’ve been dealing with it quietly,” he continued. “Usually, I don’t respond.”
The actor, now 44, went on, noting, “After eight years, turning the other cheek really isn’t helping.”
“So, I guess the world failed to learn the lesson. So I’m going to point out. We are perpetuating a lie, and people are using a political smokescreen to justify the indefensible,” he said, referencing how Barr called her own actions “indefensible” in an apology at the time.
Back in 2018, Barr was brought to task in the court of public opinion for publicly sharing a polarizing tweet comparing former President Barack Obama’s advisor, Valerie Jarrett, to an “ape.”
The comedian, now 73, defended herself at the time by claiming she’d been on a sleep aid called Ambien and didn’t know that she thought Jarrett was white. She also later blamed God. Ultimately, the show’s reboot was axed by ABC before a second season could materialize.
It was quickly retooled as “The Conners” — without Barr — and that sitcom lasted seven seasons, ending in 2025.
“Those justifications, they’re leading to real consequences. Real crimes,” Fishman said, referencing current-day tragedies involving the deaths of black Americans like Tasia Fortune, Trey Reed and Nolan Wells.
“Dehumanizing people is never a joke,” he noted. “See, when we’re onstage as comedians, or on camera, we have the freedom to say whatever we want. But that doesn’t mean there’s no responsibility and no consequences.”
“The brilliant comedians help us laugh at the darkest, darkest topics,” he went on. “Sadly, in this case, there was no joke. And the show was rightfully canceled. It’s the last time I’m really gonna go into this.”
Fishman allowed in his commentary that “good people make mistakes,” and confessed that he “love[s] the one who made this mistake” and “always will.”
“I’ll always have compassion and love [for Barr], and I’ve shown it continuously and she helped the world understand that good people can make mistakes,” he said.
“But there was no joke. There was only damage and dehumanizing — and perpetuating racial tropes leads to real-world consequences,” he added in part.
“And the only people who are backstabbed were the people who were targeted by the statements. And those who became collateral damage from it,” he said.
Fishman then addressed those who had defended racist comments online or shared their own.
“Be smart enough to just shut the hell up,” the actor concluded the upload. “Don’t finish the statement, don’t hit send and certainly don’t rage against anybody else. Because words have real-world consequences, and some of us deal with them every day. That’s freedom of speech.”
Fishman captioned the reel, “Humanity crumbles when justify dehumanization and stay silent to suffering, inequality, exclusion, and oppression. We can do better. I was shaped by the show I grew up on. Now I am building bigger. Words have consequences.”
A rep for Barr did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Tuesday evening.
Back in 2018, Barr addressed the controversial tweets multiple times, apologizing and insisting that it was politically, and not racially, motivated.
The social media rant was “about asking for accountability from the previous administration about the Iran deal, which Valerie Jarrett is the author of, and that was what was in my head,” Barr said in a 2018 interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
She added that her initial reaction to the public outcry “was shock that they were saying it was racial, when it’s political.”
In a separate 2018 podcast interview with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, Barr said, “I have to face that it hurt people.”
“When you hurt people even unwillingly there’s no excuse. I don’t want to run off and blather on with excuses,” she added. “But I apologize to anyone who thought, or felt offended and who thought that I meant something that I, in fact, did not mean. It was my own ignorance, and there’s no excuse for that ignorance.”
