NEWS'Roseanne' Star Michael Fishman Fires Back at Roseanne Barr After She Called Him a 'Worm': 'I Never Turned My Back'
Fishman addressed Barr but didn't stoop to her level.
Sept. 25 2026, Published 6:02 p.m. ET
Roseanne and The Conners star Michael Fishman took the high road in his ongoing feud with his former TV mom Roseanne Barr.
In a September 24 video, he addressed Barr's recent profane tirade against him, saying, “I don’t have to take the hook of the fight just because people lashed out.”
Fishman addressed the controversy in an Instagram video.
Barr Recently Fired a String of Stunning Insults at Her TV Son
Roseanne Barr fired off a string of proane insults at her TV son.
Barr, 73, unloaded on Fishman for saying the Roseanne reboot was "rightfully canceled" in 2018.
"Don't f------- put my name in your f------- mouth," she said on the "Can't Be Censored" podcast.
She went on to call Fishman a "bigot," an "ignoramus," and a "little f------- worm," adding, "go and f--- yourself and stay f------ till the day you die."
The Roseanne reboot was canceled after Barr tweeted that former Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett was like "the Muslim Brotherhood combined with Planet of the Apes." A spinoff series, The Conners, came back with the same cast sans Barr.
Fishman Takes the High Road
Fishman said he was dealing with an important figure in his life changing.
Addressing Barr directly, he said, "I gave you respect and asked for clarity. I never turned my back. I showed you compassion even though I vehemently disagreed with you.”
He also thanked her for confirming that he had reached out to her in the wake of the career-altering tweet.
Moving on to speak to his followers, Fishman said, “I’m living something publicly a lot of you have been navigating privately. That’s caring and loving someone who has been a powerful part of your life who has changed."
“We don’t understand and we don’t agree with it,” he continued. “And a lot of times, it’s the people who taught us the values we live by even if they resent him today.”
- Roseanne Barr Unleashes on Costar Michael Fishman for Saying the Sitcom Was 'Rightfully Canceled'
- Roseanne Barr's Son Blasts Her 'Roseanne' Costars, Says They 'Conspired' to Take the Show From Her
- 'Roseanne' Star Michael Fishman Says He'll Always 'Love' Controversial Star Roseanne Barr Despite Sitcom Cancelation
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
'A Glimpse Into the Darker Side' of His Childhood
Fishman said the outburst was reminiscent of a 'darker' side of his childhood.
Fishman said Barr's outburst was “a glimpse into the darker side of [his] childhood,” referring to his time playing D.J. Conner on the original run of the show.
The actor said he doesn't often speak about his time on the original run of Roseanne, but teased he may have to give a "fuller picture" soon.
He also said he hoped for a "retraction or apology" from Barr, hoping to meet her “rage, hate and alienation” with the "capacity of [his] heart."
A Family Feud
Roseanne's actual son has also come after Fishman.
Barr and Fishman's feud has percolated for years since the 2018 incident.
Fishman immediately condemned Barr's tweet when it was posted, saying, “I have always lived and taught my children to be inclusive.”
Barr fired back, saying, "I created the platform for that inclusivity, and you know it. You throw me under the bus.”
Barr's son, Jake Pentland, accused Fishman of "conspiring" with other Roseanne cast members to get her kicked off the show's reboot.
“I wish him good luck in finding work one day. Hopefully selling the woman responsible for his career out was worth it for him,” he sneered in an interview.
