Michael Fishman, who played DJ Conner in the sitcom "Roseanne," has broken his silence on the 2018 cancellation of the show's reboot, stating that the decision to end the series was justified. The actor became emotional while addressing ongoing online commentary that he receives daily, suggesting the reboot was canceled due to political correctness.
In a social media post, Fishman directly responded to a comment that claimed America "backstabbed Roseanne" and that "woke crap took over," leading to the show's demise. He countered that these sentiments perpetuate a lie and use a political smokescreen to justify the indefensible.
The controversy stemmed from a tweet by Roseanne Barr, the show's namesake, in which she compared former President Barack Obama's advisor, Valerie Jarrett, to an ape. At the time, Barr, who is 73, attributed her comments to a sleep aid and later blamed God. She also claimed her tweet was politically motivated, related to the Iran deal, rather than racial.
Fishman, 44, acknowledged that "good people make mistakes" and expressed continued love and compassion for Barr. However, he emphasized that dehumanizing people is never a joke and that such remarks have serious real-world consequences. He cited the deaths of Black Americans like Tasia Fortune, Trey Reed, and Nolan Wells as examples of the damage caused by perpetuating racial tropes.
"There was no joke. And the show was rightfully canceled," Fishman stated, adding that he would likely not revisit the issue again. He argued that while comedians have the freedom to speak their minds, this freedom does not negate responsibility or consequences. He specifically addressed those who defend racist comments online, urging them to "be smart enough to just shut the hell up."
Fishman's comments come years after the incident, during which ABC quickly canceled the "Roseanne" reboot. The network then retooled the show as "The Conners," which continued for seven seasons without Barr.
Fishman concluded his remarks by posting, "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."