Roseanne star Michael Fishman has defended ABC’s decision to cancel the show’s reboot after its star notoriously posted a racist tweet.
“Sadly, in this case, there was no joke and the show was rightfully cancelled,” Fishman, 44, said in a Tuesday, August 11, Instagram video that reacted to a fan comment that defended Roseanne Barr’s March 2018 post. “Good people make mistakes. And I love the one who made this mistake. I always will. I will always have compassion and love. And I’ve shown it continuously. And she helped the world understand that good people can make mistakes. But there was no joke.”
Fishman, who played D.J. Conner on the original Roseanne sitcom that aired from 1988 to 1997, spoke in direct reference to a comment that began, “The reboot got cancelled because Roseanne made the usual jokes a comedian makes but America decided to backstab Roseanne.”
The show’s revival ran on ABC for nine episodes before the tweet from Barr, 73, abruptly ended the reboot. (The since-deleted tweet targeted Valerie Jarrett, a former senior advisor to former president Barack Obama. Barr later apologized for the tweet, stating that it was a joke “in bad taste.”)
Fishman’s video further argued that his former costar’s words caused “damage and dehumanizing [through] perpetuating racial tropes.” He also concluded, “The only people who were backstabbed were the people who were targeted by the statements and those who became collateral damage from it.”
Hours after Barr’s tweet was shared, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey announced in a statement, “Roseanne’s Twitter is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel our show.”
The cancellation attracted commentary at the time from multiple members of the Roseanne cast including Fishman. “Today is one of the hardest in my life. I feel devastated, not for the end of the Roseanne show, but for all those who poured their hearts and souls into our jobs, and the audience that welcomed us into their homes,” he tweeted at the time. “Our cast, crew, writers and production staff strived for inclusiveness, with numerous storylines designed to reflect inclusiveness. The words of one person do not exemplify the thinking of all involved.”
His initial statement continued, “I condemn these statements vehemently. They are reprehensible and intolerable, contradicting my beliefs and outlook on life and society. We must stand up against; bias, hatred, bigotry and ignorance to make society a better place for all.”
One day after ABC cancelled the Roseanne reboot, Barr took to Twitter again to write the since-deleted explanation, “It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting — it was memorial day too — i went too far and do not want it defended — it was egregious [and] indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn’t but … don’t defend it please.”
