Michael Fishman is speaking out on his absence from The Conners’ final episode.
Following the series finale of the popular sitcom, which was a spinoff of the show where his role of D.J. Conner originated in Roseanne, the 43-year-old actor opened up about why he did not appear to say goodbye. In a video posted to Instagram on April 24, Fishman, who returned as D.J. for the first four seasons of The Conners, shared his thoughts.
“It’s the day after The Conners’ finale, and I have been inundated with people looking for a reaction,” he began. “People seem to want to have there be some kind of conflict or controversy, especially on my part. The reality is, all I really have is empathy and understanding for all of the people on set and for all of our audience that’s grieving. I prefer to be a lighthouse in the dark. It’s for that reason that I’m creating a safe space to build community to process difficult emotions and transitions.”
“When I look back at the legacy of the show, a legacy that started with Roseanne Barr and that we built into Roseanne and The Conners, I have only gratitude,” he continued. “I really believe that that legacy belongs to all of you in the audience.”
Fishman concluded: “I’ve been really lucky to be rewarded for my professionalism and kindness and collaboration by the Carci Warner Company, who owns it, who has asked me to keep shining a light on the series. And it’s been my honor, because I believe it’s a comfort show for many. So in this time, I keep thinking to myself, it’s the perfect time to reconnect. It’s the perfect time to go back and celebrate. And so I’m looking back and starting over and watching from the beginning with a whole new perspective.”
In the caption, he shared a message about the evolution of the show, seemingly referring to the renaming of the Roseanne revival to The Conners seven years ago.
“Thankful for the Gift of Grief, that it happened, that I got to share the experience, forever changed by it,” he wrote. “To everyone who build our shows and all those who empowered it. #Legacy #Community #Love #Family #Roseanne”
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Barr was fired from her titular series in 2018 after she likened former President Barack Obama’s advisor Valerie Jarrett to an “ape” in a since-deleted tweet. She later claimed that she didn’t know Jarrett was Black and that she was on Ambien while tweeting the statement.
Roseanne originally aired from 1988 until 1997, starting when Fishman was just 6 years old. His character, D.J., was the son of Barr’s Roseanne Conner and John Goodman’s Dan Conner.
Fishman not only returned on-camera for The Conners, in which viewers learned that D.J. grew up to be a military veteran, but he also directed several episodes.
Fishman announced that he was leaving the TV series in 2022, saying in a statement at the time: “While I was told I would not be returning for season 5, Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop. I was incredibly lucky to return home and demonstrate my expansion. As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production.”
