Former Child Actor Defends Show’s Controversial Cancellation Nearly a Decade Later: ‘Words Have Consequences’

A former child actor is receiving love from fans after sharing his honest take on the controversial cancellation of his show nearly a decade ago. Michael Fishman, who played DJ Conner on Roseanne and The Conners, took to Instagram on August 10 to respond to a critic of the network’s decision to cancel the series.

Fishman shared a screenshot of a social media comment from someone who suggested that Roseanne was canceled because its lead star, Roseanne Barr, made “the usual jokes a comedian makes,” but America “decided to backstab” her.

The commenter added that, in their opinion, Barr ended up in hot water for being an “edgy comedian.”

In May 2018, ABC canceled Roseanne after Barr posted a racist tweet. As PBS noted at the time, then-ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey stated, “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show.”

In his response to the recent comment he received, Fishman stated that “Humanity crumbles” when people “justify dehumanization and stay silent to suffering, inequality, exclusion, and oppression.”

Fishman added, “Words have consequences.”

In his video, Fishman revealed that he receives critical comments about the Roseanne cancellation every day, even though it happened eight years ago. He noted that he usually doesn’t respond, and this would be the last time he shared his thoughts on the issue.

“Dehumanizing people is never a joke,” Fishman stated. He explained that he felt what Barr had tweeted was “indefensible,” and justifications of what was posted lead to “real consequences, real crimes.”

He acknowledged that when an entertainer is on stage or on camera, they do have the freedom to say whatever they want. “But that doesn’t mean there’s no responsibility and no consequences,” Fishman pointed out.

In the case of the show’s cancellation, Fishman said there was no “joke” in the controversial tweet Barr shared, and he believes the series was “rightfully cancelled.”

“Good people make mistakes. And I love the one who made this mistake. I always will and always have compassion and love. And I’ve shown it continuously,” Fishman added.

The actor continued, “She helped the world understand that good people can make mistakes. But there was no joke. There was only damage.” Fishman also noted that “dehumanizing and perpetuating racial tropes leads to real-world consequences.”

The feedback from Fishman’s followers on his Instagram post was overwhelmingly positive.

One fan wrote, “Thank you for standing on morals and just being a kind and empathetic human being. We need more like you!”

Someone else added that it was “Cool to have watched you grow up to become an honorable man.”

Roseanne originally aired on ABC from 1988 to 1997. It was later brought back for another season and debuted in March 2018. Just months later, Barr’s tweeting incident prompted an almost immediate cancellation by the network.

Shortly after, ABC decided to continue with the return, but Barr was not involved. It was renamed The Conners and ran for seven seasons.