Controversy seems to follow comedian Roseanne Barr wherever she goes. Years ago, while she was starring in her successful sitcom reboot on ABC, Barr posted some tweets that raised some loads of eyebrows and hackles. Those tweets, interpreted by many as racist, eventually got her fired by the network and also cancelled the show. Now, one of her former co-stars, Michael Fishman, who played D.J. Conner, is standing behind the decision to cut Roseanne Barr loose and ditch her program.
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She made remarks at the time in tweets about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President Barack Obama. Per Variety, Barr referred to Jarrett "as the offspring of the 'Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.'" She did issue an apology. But the damage was done and the show was dropped by ABC.
Another version of the popular sitcom called The Conners was brought back. But it was minus Roseanne Barr this time, per Page Six. It finally ended its successful run last year.
Fishman Shared His Opinion on Social Media
In an Instagram reel, Fishman, now 44, seemed to be responding to someone named Kevin, who wrote in a message that "The reboot got cancelled because Roseanne made the usual jokes a comedian makes but america decided to backstab Roseanne...."
Fishman, speaking with emotion, sees it very differently. Acknowledging that he gets "ignorant and inaccurate comments daily," presumably about the demise of the show and whether it was justified. Fishman said he does not usually respond to those comments. But this time, he did. "After eight years," he noted, "turning the other cheek is really not helping," Fishman explained.
"The Show Was Rightfully Cancelled"
He bluntly stated, "The show was rightfully cancelled." Fishman also said that "Good people make mistakes." Yet he mentioned that "dehumanizing people is never a joke." Nevertheless, he says he still "love[s] the one who made this mistake."
As for who really was backstabbed, Michael Fishman pointed out, "And the only people who wee backstabbed were the people who were targeted by the statements. And those who became collateral damage from it."
Chances are that the uproar Roseanne Barr's comments sparked will probably keep swirling. That is despite efforts by people like Michael Fishman to at last put the issue to rest.
