Michael Fishman has responded to Roseanne Barr after the actress called her former on-screen son a “brainwashed bigot” during a podcast appearance.
Fishman, who played DJ Conner throughout the original nine-season run of Roseanne, said Barr’s comments had offered an insight into what it was like to work with her as a child actor.
The dispute follows the cancellation of the show’s 2018 revival by American network ABC, after Barr posted a tweet about Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to Barack Obama, which was widely interpreted as racist.
Barr wrote: “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” The post prompted condemnation from cast members, crew and network executives for comparing a Black woman to an ape.
Fishman supported the decision to cancel the revived series. Barr later criticised him during an episode of the Can’t Be Censored podcast.
“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 said.
“He hasn’t even taken the time to listen to what I say because he’s a bigot. And he’s a brainwashed bigot.”
In a video posted on social media, Fishman said he had contacted Barr on the morning she published the tweets that derailed the revival.
“I actually showed you compassion, even though I vehemently disagreed with you,” he said. “I have painfully held that quietly for her protection.”
He added: “But I guess she gave you a glimpse into the darker side of my childhood.”
Despite the attack, Fishman said he retained “tremendous gratitude” for the opportunity to appear on the programme.
“Hate and bigotry in politics have ripped families in this country apart,” he said.
“So through the rage and the hate and the alienation, I’m going to meet her and all the others with the capacity of my heart.
“I don’t have to take the hook of the fight just because people lashed out.
“I’m going to choose to remember the best in them.”
