Roseanne Barr did not hold back when calling out former TV son Michael Fishman for his recent comments about Roseanne‘s cancellation.
“He f***ing doesn’t even f***ing know what I said, even though I’ve explained it 10,000 times for nine years on the internet,” Barr, 73, claimed during an episode of the “Can’t Be Censored” podcast, referring to Fishman, 44, as a “little f***ing worm.”
Barr also alleged her former costar is a “brainwashed bigot,” claiming Fishman “hasn’t even taken the time to listen to what I say.”
“And when he asked me to explain it to him — when I had already explained it 9,000 times — I told him, ‘Let me explain this to you, Michael. Go and f*** yourself and stay f***ed ’til the day you die,’” she added.
Roseanne, which originally aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997, followed the Conner family as they dealt with trials and tribulations in their working-class lives. Barr starred as Roseanne Conner, while John Goodman played her husband, Dan Conner. Their family also included Roseanne’s sister Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) and Roseanne and Dan’s kids: Darlene (Sara Gilbert), Becky (Lecy Goranson) and D.J. (Fishman).
The sitcom was briefly revived in 2018, but it was canceled after Barr sparked controversy with racially charged social media posts. Barr issued an apology amid the backlash, and ABC subsequently removed all references to the revival series from its press site.
Roseanne was ultimately transformed into The Conners, which was created without Barr’s involvement. The spinoff ran for seven seasons — and mentioned Barr’s character several times — but she never appeared on screen before the 2025 series finale.
In August, Fishman shared an Instagram video discussing ABC’s decision to cancel Roseanne over Barr’s offscreen controversy. “The brilliant comedians help us laugh at the darkest, darkest topics,” he said at the time. “Sadly, in this case, there was no joke. And the show was rightfully canceled. It’s the last time I’m really gonna go into this.”
Despite Roseanne Barr‘s absence from The Conners, her character was still front and center on the final season. Roseanne originally aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997. After being briefly revived in 2018 — and after Barr’s eventual exit from the series amid controversial social media posts — the story transformed into The Conners. The […]
Barr explained on the podcast that she wasn’t pleased with Fishman, claiming she told him to “keep my name out of your mouth.” She even alleged that Fishman’s comments were “slander.”
“I’m glad they fired you because I was the only reason you were ever on that show. They wanted to get rid of you in the reboot, and I made them take you back. f*** you, you little f***in’ putz,” Barr said.
Fishman appeared on The Conners from 2018 to 2022. When addressing his exit, he said he was “told I would not be returning for season 5.”
