'Roseanne' star slams Roseanne Barr's racist tweet defenders, 'perpetuating a lie'
'Roseanne' star slams Roseanne Barr's racist tweet defenders, 'perpetuating a lie'
Bryan Alexander, USA TODAYWed, August 12, 2026 at 6:48 PM UTC
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Actor Michael Fishman has had enough of social media rewriting history about Roseanne Barr’s racist tweet and sensational 2018 firing from her "Roseanne" reboot.
Fishman, 44, who played youngest son D.J. Conner across multiple shows in the "Roseanne" franchise, says he continues to receive harsh, inaccurate comments about Barr’s infamous tweet that prompted ABC to cancel the hit sitcom with the famous actress's name in the title – in May 2018.
“I get these kind of ignorant and inaccurate comments daily,” Fishman said in a somber Instagram Reels video on Monday, Aug. 10, which featured an offending social media post displayed onscreen. “Mostly I try to ignore them. For over eight years, I’ve been dealing with it quietly.”
Roseanne rejected: Roseanne Barr just learned that no one gets to be Donald Trump. Not even her.
The social media post he referenced stated that Barr's tweet was simply a joke, and that "woke" policies led to the show's cancellation in the aftermath.
“The reboot got canceled because Roseanne made the usual jokes a comedian makes but America decided to backstab Roseanne,” the comment read. “Funny thing is even if (Barr) was racist, she had already said more egregious jokes and nobody batted an eye before.”
"I give this one credit, [the user] didn't send any death threats," said Fishman, "After eight years, turning the other cheek isn't working."
Defending Barr's tweet is "perpetuating a lie," Fishman added.
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What was Roseanne Barr's tweet that got actress fired from 'Roseanne'
ABC canceled “Roseanne” in May 2018, hours after Barr posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a Black former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, comparing Jarrett to an offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and "Planet of the Apes."
Barr deleted the post and apologized, calling it a “bad joke.” But ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey called the tweet “abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values” and immediately canceled the hit revival.
ABC later brought the series back without Barr, as “The Conners." Fishman returned alongside original “Roseanne” stars John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert, and Barr's famed matriarch was killed off in the first episode. The show lasted seven seasons, ending in 2025.
Eight years later, debate over Barr's tweet and the show's cancellation continues.
"So, I guess the world failed to learn the lesson," Fishman said of the controversy. "So I’m going to point out. We are perpetuating a lie, and people are using a political smokescreen to justify the indefensible... dehumanizing people is never a joke."
"Sadly in this case there was no joke, and the show was rightfully canceled," said Fishman. "There was no joke, only damage."
Fishman had a message for people trying to defend Barr's tweet for the future on social media.
"Just shut the hell up," he said. "Be smart enough to just shut the hell up."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Roseanne' star slams Roseanne Barr's racist tweet defenders, 'perpetuating a lie'
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
