Columbus Short's Life After 'Scandal': Where the Former TV Star Is Now Following His Public Downfall
May 12, 2026


Fans are calling for a boycott. They're ranting and raving that the show is nothing without Roseanne Barr. But how does one return from the dead? Possibly with their own talk show.
In the season premiere of the spin-off from "Roseanne," producers basically killed her off. The opening scene of "The Conners" showed Barr's family gathered together as they mourn "Granny Rose."
Then "Jackie," played by Laurie Metcalf, pulled aside "Dan," played by John Goodman. The two reveal how Roseanne has died.
Just the fact that the character was killed off has fans in an uproar. But the way in which it was done is an even greater point of contention.
The family believes at first that Roseanne succumbed to a heart attack in her sleep. But then they find out she suffered from an opiate overdose.
Since the reveal was shown at the start, it gave Barr enough time to tweet her opinion while the show aired.
"I AIN'T DEAD, [EXPLETIVE]!!!!"
And with that, the Twittersphere exploded.
While most were upset, some persons were empathetic to the remaining character' roles. The show's Twitter account shared a clip of "Dan Conner" getting into bed without his wife.
As he gets ready to lay down, he looks over at his late wife's side. Then he somberly folds over the covers on her side.
Just before closing his eyes, he puts his arm on the pillow next to him like he would if his wife were still there.
The show expanded on the details of "Roseanne"'s death. Dan discovered a pill bottle that led him to the realization of what really happened.
He later confronted the neighbor whose name was on the bottle. The neighbor informed Dan that his wife had participated in an exchange.
The group would supply prescription drugs to each other to cut costs.
The neighbor named Marcy told Dan:
"Roseanne called me. She told me her knee wasn't healing fast enough and that I was the only person she could turn to. She said she needed those pain pills to get back to work cause you guys were running out of money. I would never have given them to her if I knew she had a problem."
Barr released a joint statement with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach following the spin-off.
Boteach, 65, has worked with Michael Jackson and reality star Jon Gosselin in the role of a spiritual adviser.
The two described the overdose death as "unnecessary", "grim" and "morbid."
In the same statement, they said that they wished "the very best for the cast and production crew of 'The Conners.' "
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported that ABC regretted their decision to fire Barr so quickly.
Two senior executives referred to the firing as a "knee-jerk" reaction. In hindsight, a temporary suspension might have been the smarter thing to do.

Source: Twitter/ Roseanne Barr
The show was swiftly canceled in May after the reboot had been airing for three months.
It came after Barr tweeted what was perceived as racist remarks. She called Valerie Jarrett, a former aide of Obama, something from "planet of the apes."
Barr was fired and the show canceled just hours following the tweet. Despite her apology, the network held firm to their decision. They said her words were "abhorrent" and "repugnant."
However, in light of the fans' reactions, ABC determined that the beloved matriarch had carried the show more than they thought.
Some fans are decisive that they won't watch the spin-off due to their loyalty to Barr. Others are conflicted. Ultimately, the ratings will reflect the consequences of the network's action.
Barr is taking steps of her own to revive her career. She just launched a new online talk show called "News for Jews."
In it, Barr sat in front of the camera for an hour and discussed her take on Judaism.
The actress only promoted the show on Monday by asking fans to subscribe to her YouTube channel.
Source: YouTube/ Roseanne Barr
The first episode aired on October 13. Barr also expanded on her plans to move to Israel soon.
For Barr, there's not much left for her in the United States. Although she still has the support of many fans, a change might do her good.
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