Roseanne Barr Unloads on Michael Fishman Over His ‘Roseanne’ Cancellation Comments
The Roseanne Barr and Michael Fishman feud runs deeper than most sitcom family rifts. Fishman played D.J. Conner, the youngest child of Barr’s character, and he grew up on camera alongside the show that made her famous. He stayed with ‘Roseanne’ from its ABC debut in 1988 through the 2018 revival, and later joined its spin-off.
That revival premiered to strong reviews and ratings before imploding almost overnight. ABC canceled it after Barr posted a racist tweet about former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, comparing her to an ape. The network retooled the series as ‘The Conners’ without Barr, and it ran for 7 seasons before ending in 2025.
Years of quiet frustration boiled over last month. Fishman posted an Instagram video responding to a follower who argued that Barr had only made the usual jokes a comedian makes and that America had turned on her. He called such comments ignorant and inaccurate, said he had been dealing with them quietly for more than 8 years, and argued that turning the other cheek was no longer helping.
He said freedom of speech comes with responsibility and consequences, and that in this case there was no joke, only dehumanizing damage. His conclusion was that the show was rightfully canceled. He also said he still loves Barr and believes good people can make mistakes.
That brings us to Wednesday, when TMZ reported that Barr had finally answered him. Appearing on the ‘Can’t Be Censored’ podcast, she was asked about Fishman’s remarks and responded with a profanity-laced tirade. She called him names, told him he has no idea what she was talking about in the original controversy, and said he lacks any geopolitical context.
She also claimed Fishman only made it into the revival because she fought to keep him on the show after producers wanted to drop him. Barr wanted nothing to do with the loving part of his message, and she told him not to use her name. TMZ’s 2-minute-and-16-second clip of the interview has been circulating on social media.
Roseanne Barr goes nuclear on Michael Fishman for saying show was rightfully canceled.
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 23, 2026
🎥: Can't Be Censored pic.twitter.com/3Anxrtgeyv
Barr’s context comment echoes the defense she has offered since 2018. She said in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity that her post was about seeking accountability over the Iran deal, which she attributed to Jarrett, rather than about race. Fishman, by contrast, has maintained that no political framing justifies what she said.
Their disagreement is not new. In May 2018, just after the cancellation, Fishman condemned the tweet and said he was devastated by the show’s end. Barr replied that she created the platform for inclusivity and accused him of throwing her under the bus, and he answered that she had built the show for inclusiveness, which made the tweet so out of character.
The next day, Barr said she forgave Fishman and Sara Gilbert but wished they had called her privately instead of speaking publicly. That brief truce did not last.
The rift has had real career consequences for Fishman as well. His character was ultimately cut from ‘The Conners’ in 2022, and he was not mentioned in the series finale. At the time, he told People magazine it was an honor to play the role for so long and sent love to everyone involved in production.
Fans of the original sitcom have watched this saga play out for years, and the reaction to each new chapter tends to split along familiar lines. Some side with Fishman’s call for accountability, while others echo the commenter who prompted his video. Either way, it is hard to imagine any reunion talk surviving this latest exchange.
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