Michael Fishman, who played D.J. Conner on the ABC sitcom “Roseanne,” has taken to social media after making headlines for feuding with his former co-star Roseanne Barr earlier this month. In August, Fishman said that the show’s 2018 reboot “was rightfully canceled” after Barr posted a racist tweet, to which Barr responded that Fishman was a “brainwashed bigot” and “a fucking little worm” in an episode of the “Can’t Be Censored” podcast.
He began by apologizing to fans of the show for the“chaos over the course of the past week.” “I’ve heard from a lot of you [that you] feel like your TV family is fighting,” Fishman said in the video posted on his Instagram page. “I had the privilege of growing up with so many of you or around so many of you. And the truth is, I’m gonna keep pushing out love and light because it’s the path that I’ve chosen over the years.”
He continued: “Our show has been a comfort show for you. So I want you to know we’re not going to ruin it. I’m going to do whatever I can to uphold that legacy and make sure it stays with you.” He added that “the show meant something to me as a kid,” and “it became even more real afterward.”
“Gentle reminder to shine,” he wrote under the video. “We find our way home and back together.”
Fishman appeared on all nine seasons of “Roseanne,” which ran from 1988 to 1997, and the nine-episode revival season that aired in 2018. At the time, Variety reported that the show finished its first season as the number one scripted primetime television show in the 18-49 age range. Fishman also reprised his role for four seasons on the follow-up “The Conners,” which ran for seven seasons from 2018 to 2025.
See Fishman’s full video here.