Michael Fishman Pushes Back on Claims That ‘Woke’ Politics Ended Roseanne

Michael Fishman, who played D.J. Conner on Roseanne for 14 seasons, is pushing back against what he calls years of “ignorant and inaccurate” claims about the show’s cancellation.

Fishman recently responded to an Instagram comment blaming “woke crap” for the end of the Roseanne revival. The show was canceled by ABC in 2018 after star Roseanne Barr posted a tweet comparing former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, who is Black, to a character from Planet of the Apes.

“I get these kinds of ignorant and inaccurate comments daily,” Fishman said in a video response. “After eight years, turning the other cheek is really not helping.”

He argued that attempts to defend Barr’s comment as simply a comedian making a joke ignore the seriousness of the statement.

“We are perpetuating a lie, and people are using a political smoke screen to justify the indefensible,” Fishman said. He added that dehumanizing people should never be treated as a joke because racial stereotypes can have consequences beyond entertainment.

Fishman acknowledged that comedy can tackle extremely difficult subjects, including “the darkest” topics. But in this case, he said, there was no joke behind Barr’s remark.

“The show was rightfully canceled,” he said.

Fishman also rejected the idea that America “backstabbed” Barr. According to him, the people who were truly harmed were those targeted by the statement and others who became caught up in its aftermath.

His position is consistent with what he said immediately after the cancellation in 2018. At the time, Fishman strongly condemned Barr’s comments as “reprehensible and intolerable,” saying he had always tried to raise his children to be inclusive.

Barr responded publicly, telling her former TV son that she had created the platform that gave him the opportunity to promote inclusivity and accused him of throwing her “under the bus.”

Fishman agreed that Barr had helped create that platform. However, he said that was also why her comment was so troubling to him.

He described it as being completely out of character with the previous 30 years of her work.

After ABC canceled Roseanne, the network quickly moved forward with The Conners, a spinoff featuring the rest of the main cast without Barr. Fishman appeared in the first four seasons before leaving the series in 2022. He said at the time that he had been told he would not return for Season 5.

The Conners, led by John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert and Lecy Goranson, continued for three more seasons before ending in April 2025.

Despite the passage of years, Fishman says his feelings toward Barr remain complicated. He still condemns what she said, but he does not believe one serious mistake makes someone incapable of being loved or forgiven.

“Good people make mistakes,” Fishman said. “And I love the one who made this mistake. I always will.”

He added that he continues to have “compassion and love” for Barr and believes her story can also serve as a reminder that even good people can make serious mistakes.