Michael Fishman, a star of both the original comedy series Roseanne and its spinoff The Conners, was notably absent during the franchise’s finale. Now, the actor is speaking out about his exclusion in a new video uploaded to his official Instagram account late last week.
Fishman played the youngest of the Conner children, D.J.—no small part in the household—but his character wasn’t even mentioned as the show came to a close on April 23, 2025, save for his inclusion within a montage of flashback footage from the original series.
While fans were indignant on his behalf, they applauded Fishman for the “class” he displayed while addressing his exclusion on social media, noting that he was “Thankful for the Gift of Grief, that it happened, that I got to share the experience, forever changed by it. To everyone who build our shows and all those who empowered it” after being “inundated” with requests for his reaction.
“People seem to want there to be some kind of conflict or controversy, especially on my part,” he shared, after his character was unexpectedly written off several seasons ago. “And the reality is, all I’ve ever had was empathy and understanding. For all the people on set and all of our audience that’s grieving, I prefer to be a lighthouse in the dark.”
He also credited Roseanne Barr, who was killed off from the revival in 2018 after a series of controversial tweets, with the series’ legacy, reiterating that he has “only gratitude.”
“You’re a class act, my man,” one fan applauded. “Seriously, so much respect for you. Not sure who else would have handled the whole situation with as much maturity and rationale as you did….”
“This is class,” another agreed. “Being grateful when you had a good opportunity shows the kind of person you are. This reminds me to do the same. Ty.”
“You were very much missed in the finale but we all know you are still a Conner ❤️,” another assured him.
