Michael Fishman, an actor who starred in the sitcom "Roseanne," has stated that the show's 2018 reboot was "rightfully canceled" following star Roseanne Barr's racist remarks. Fishman, who played D.J. Conner in the original series, its reboot, and the subsequent spin-off "The Conners," addressed the controversy in an Instagram video.
Barr was fired by ABC after she posted a tweet that referred to Valerie Jarrett, an African-American former advisor to President Barack Obama, as resembling "Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby." Despite an apology to Jarrett, which Barr described as "making a bad joke," ABC canceled the "Roseanne" reboot, which had been one of the year's highest-rated shows.
Fishman's remarks were in response to a fan comment suggesting the show was axed due to "woke crap" and that America had "backstabbed" Barr. Fishman displayed the comment in his video, calling such sentiments "ignorant and inaccurate."
He explained that he had largely ignored such comments for over eight years but felt compelled to address them. "Turning the other cheek is really not helping," Fishman said. "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 smoke screen to justify the indefensible."
Fishman reminded viewers that Barr herself called her remarks "indefensible" and that justifying such statements can lead to "real consequences." He cited the deaths of Trey Reed and Tasha Fortune, two Black individuals who died in Mississippi in 2023, as examples of the dangers of dehumanizing language. "When we're on stage 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," he stated. "Sadly, in this case, there was no joke. And the show was rightfully canceled."
While condemning Barr's actions, Fishman also expressed his affection for her, acknowledging that "good people make mistakes." He added, "I love the one who made this mistake. I always will. I'll always have compassion and love, and I've shown it continuously and she helped the world understand that good people can make mistakes. But there was no joke. There's only damage and dehumanizing and perpetuating racial tropes. Leads to real world consequences."
Fishman concluded his video by urging his followers to consider the impact of their words. "Be smart enough to just shut the hell up. Don't finish the statement. Don't hit send and certainly don't rage against anybody else. Because words have real world consequences."
Prior to the controversial tweet, Barr had also sparked backlash for tweeting, "Islam is not a race." ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey described Barr's tweets as "abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values" when announcing the show's cancellation.
Valerie Jarrett, in response to the incident, suggested turning it into a "teaching moment" and expressed concern for those without a support system who face similar remarks. She also noted that then-Disney CEO Bob Iger had contacted her before the cancellation was made public.
The cancellation led to the creation of a spin-off series, "The Conners," which premiered in 2018 and continued until 2025. The spin-off featured the original cast except for Barr, whose character was killed off. The "Roseanne" reboot itself had returned the original cast and focused on the Conner family's experiences during the Trump era.