Roseanne Barr’s co-star Michael Fishman fires back after her blistering podcast takedown

Riley Cardoza Fri, September 25, 2026 at 1:06 PM UTC

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Michael Fishman dismissed Roseanne Barr’s recent podcast takedown as “obvious lies and name calling” in a lengthy video Thursday.

“I know everybody wants a response,” the actor, 44, began his Instagram video, two days after a scathing clip of his TV mom’s upcoming “Can’t Be Censored” episode went viral.

Fishman went on to thank Barr, who told him to “shut the f–k up” and “stay f–ked,” for “finally admitting the public truth” — that he reached out to her the morning after the racist tweets that got the “Roseanne” reboot canceled in 2018.

Michael Fishman responded to Roseanne Barr’s scathing takedown with an Instagram video Thursday. reelmfishman/Instagram

The actor (pictured above in September 1995) railed against his TV mom’s “obvious lies and name calling.” ©Carsey-Werner Co/Courtesy Everett Collection

He “vehemently condemned” the tweets at the time and went on to star in the “Conners” spinoff alongside Sara Gilbert, John Goodman and more returning cast members — sans Barr.

However, he pointed out Thursday, “I gave you respect and asked for clarity. I never turned my back. I showed you compassion even though I vehemently disagreed with you.”

The “Conners” alum referred to Barr’s rant as “a glimpse into the darker side of [his] childhood” as D.J. Conner — and promised fans to deliver a “fuller picture” one day.

While he doesn’t “talk much about the show or [his] experience on it,” he teased, “I might have to fix that soon.”

He said Barr’s recent podcast rant gave a glimpse into “the darker side of [his] childhood.” reelmfishman/Instagram

Barr, notably, called Fishman a “brainwashed bigot” on an “Can’t Be Censored” episode. Can't Be Censored podcast

He went on to request a “retraction or an apology maybe” from Barr, 73, before meeting her “rage, hate and alienation” with “the capacity of [his] heart.”

Fishman explained, “I don’t have to take the hook of the fight just because people lashed out.”

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He told his followers he set “healthy boundaries” with the actress and added, “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,” Fishman continued. “And a lot of times, it’s the people who taught us the values we live by even if they resent him today.”

Fishman (pictured above in 1990) refused to engage in the “rage, hate and alienation.” ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

The “Conners” alum (pictured above in November 2023) explained, “I don’t have to take the hook of the fight just because people lashed out.” Variety via Getty Images

He noted in the social media upload’s caption that he plans to “trust in the work [and] walk with integrity.”

Barr’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

In the Emmy winner’s blistering comments Tuesday, she called her TV son a “f–king worm,” a “brainwashed bigot” and a “f–king putz.”

She did so in the wake of Fishman doubling down in an Instagram Reel about Barr’s axing being a “rightful” decision since her tweets were “damag[ing] and dehumanizing.”

Fishman (pictured above in December 2025) made headlines last month for standing by Barr’s 2018 axing from the “Roseanne” reboot. Getty Images

Her son hit back at Barr’s former cast members, including Fishman, days later as “conspiring” against his mom. ©Carsey-Werner Co/Everett Collection / Everett Collection

“Perpetuating racial tropes leads to real-world consequences,” he said in the August clip, clarifying he’ll “always have compassion and love [for Barr] and [has] shown it continuously.”

Fishman added, “She helped the world understand that good people can make mistakes.”

Barr’s son, Jake Pentland, subsequently slammed Fishman to TMZ, claiming he “prevented her from publicly defending herself” and “conspired” to take the revival away.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”