‘Ignoramus and a bigot’: Roseanne Barr blasts former ‘Roseanne’ co-star Michael Fishman; revisits 8-year-old tweet comparing Obama’s advisor to apes that led to show's cancellation

Comedian and actress Roseanne Barr has tears into her former co-star, Michael Fishman, calling him a "brainwashed bigot." In an appearance on the "Can't Be Censored" podcast, the controversial Emmy Award-winning comedian hit back at her former "Roseanne" co-star, after he defended the show’s cancellation in 2018 for a reboot.

"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 on the show. "He hasn’t even taken the time to listen to what I say because he’s a bigot. And he’s a brainwashed bigot."

The reboot of the hit '90s show was a major success when it premiered in 2018, but was canceled just a couple of months later after Barr tweeted a racist remark about Valerie Jarrett, a businesswoman and former advisor to former President Obama.


“Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj,” Barr tweeted at that time, which received huge backlash from fellow cast members, crew and network executives for comparing a Black woman to an ape.

Barr, who is till date critical of the Muslim Brotherhood, has since apologized many times and claimed she was not referring to Jarrett’s race, but was being critical of her for brokering a nuclear deal with Iran.


However, ABC, the original broadcaster of the show, fired her and canceled it. A month later, the network announced a new spin-off called "The Connors." They bought back the majority of the "Roseanne" cast, including 44 year old Michael Fishman but not Barr.

During the appearance on the podcast, the 73 year old comedian revealed that Fishman asked her about her comments "9,000" times before she told him to "go and f*** yourself and stay f***ed ‘till the day you die."

"You are an ignoramus and a bigot, and you have no idea what I said because it contradicts the Democratic Party platform that you’ve had shoved down your throat and up your a**. So, just f*** you. You have no geopolitical context whatsoever to discuss what I said."

In August, Fishman shared an Instagram video addressing the conversation about the cancellation of Roseanne revival following Barr's infamous tweet.

“The brilliant comedians help us laugh at the darkest, darkest topics,” Fishman said in the video.

“Sadly, in this case, there was no joke. And the show was rightfully cancelled. It’s the last time I’m really gonna go into this.”

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In The Conners, Fishman reprised his role alongside original cast members John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert. The show addressed the sudden death of Barr’s character, Roseanne Conner, written out as an accidental opioid overdose. The spin‑off ran until April last year, after 93 episodes across seven seasons, though Fishman was let go before the fifth season.

“And I’m glad they fired you, because I was the only reason you were ever on that show,” Barr said on Can’t Be Censored. “They wanted to get rid of you in the reboot, and I made them take you back. F*** you, you little f***ing putz.”