Roseanne Barr Explodes at "Roseanne" Co-Star Michael Fishman Over Racist Tweet Controversy
Barr verbally attacked Fishman, calling him a "brainwashed bigot" and telling him to "go and f—k yourself" after he spoke out about her 2018 racist remarks.
Roseanne Barr has launched an expletive-laden tirade against her former "Roseanne" co-star Michael Fishman, who recently spoke out about her 2018 racist tweets. Barr made the remarks during an upcoming appearance on the "Can't Be Censored" podcast, where she referred to Fishman as a "brainwashed bigot."
"He f—king doesn’t even f—king know what I said," Barr claimed, asserting that Fishman had not listened to her explanations despite her having addressed the controversy numerous times online. Barr, who starred alongside Fishman on the original sitcom from 1988 to 1997, accused him of not taking the time to understand her perspective.
According to Barr, Fishman, who played her onscreen son DJ Conner, had requested a private conversation about her controversial remarks after she had already attempted to explain herself. In response, Barr recounted her harsh reply: "I told him, ‘Let me explain this to you, Michael. Go and f—k yourself and stay f—ked until the day you die. Don’t f—king put my name in your f—king mouth. Shut the f—k up.'"
Barr further suggested that Fishman's inability to comprehend her position stemmed from his alleged indoctrination by the Democratic party. She also claimed that she was solely responsible for his rehiring for the "Roseanne" reboot in 2018, stating, "I was the only reason you were on that show. They wanted to get rid of you in the reboot and I made them take you back. F—k you, you little f—king putz."
In May 2018, Barr posted a series of racist tweets targeting public figures, which led ABC to cancel the "Roseanne" reboot just two months after its premiere. Following the cancellation, Barr reportedly feuded with Fishman, accusing him of throwing her "under the bus" after he condemned her remarks. Fishman later went on to star in "The Conners," a successor series to "Roseanne" that did not include Barr.
More recently, Fishman defended ABC's decision to fire Barr, while also expressing that he would "always have compassion and love" for her. He stated that while "good people can make mistakes," Barr's tweets caused "damage and dehumanizing — and perpetuating racial tropes leads to real-world consequences."