He Played D.J. Conner on 'Roseanne' for 9 Seasons — You Won't Recognize Him Today — Photos

The young actor who spent nine seasons inside the Conner home is now nearly unrecognizable, and his latest video shows a far more serious side of him.

Viewers watched him grow up on "Roseanne," which premiered in 1988, before he reprised his role in the sitcom's revival and its eventual spin-off.

Now 44 and looking remarkably different from his childhood character, the former actor has attracted renewed attention partly because of an emotional video posted on August 11, 2026, in which he addressed a painful controversy involving Roseanne Barr.

A Six-Year-Old Walked Into an Audition

The California-born performer had no acting experience when he auditioned for "Roseanne" at only six years old. A meeting with Barr helped him secure the role of D.J. Conner, the youngest child in the show's central family.

He remained with the comedy throughout its nine-season original run and earned two Young Artist Award nominations for Best Young Actor Under Nine Years of Age. He later won the award for Best Performance: Young Actor in a TV Comedy Series.

His childhood unfolded on a television set, but acting soon became only one part of his work. He learned set construction and design, camera operation, props, and assistant directing, eventually contributing to the Emmy-nominated art department behind "Sports Science."

The young sitcom regular also moved beyond the Conner household. His credits grew to include "Seinfeld," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Hitz," "A.I. Artificial Intelligence," and "Undrafted," along with a co-hosting position on "The Roseanne Show."

He Returned to a Very Different Conner Family

When "Roseanne" came back in 2018, the former child actor reprised his role as an adult D.J. The revival reunited viewers with characters they had known for decades, but its future changed abruptly before a second season could be produced.

ABC canceled the revival after Barr posted a tweet comparing Valerie Jarrett, an adviser to former President Barack Obama, to an ape. Barr said she had taken the sleep medication Ambien and claimed that she believed Jarrett was white; she later also blamed God.

The program was subsequently reshaped as "The Conners," with Barr removed from the cast. The spin-off continued for seven seasons and concluded in 2025.

Its former child star stayed with the franchise and expanded his responsibilities behind the camera. He directed five episodes of "The Conners," including the Halloween installment that served as his network television directorial debut.

The Boy Behind D.J.

The child viewers knew as D.J. Conner was Michael Fishman, who was born in Long Beach, California. Now 44, Fishman looks strikingly different from his childhood character, with thick silver-gray hair and light facial hair framing his more mature features.

His career has also changed considerably. Fishman is now an actor, writer, producer, and director whose experience in entertainment spans more than three decades.

He produced scripted and unscripted projects, including the award-winning 2022 feature "A Place in the Field." He also portrayed Tad Cummins in "Abducted by My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story."

Away from production, Fishman has spoken publicly about losing his teenage son, Larry Fishman, to an overdose. He discussed the tragedy on "Tamron Hall" and has continued pursuing community-focused storytelling through Mclusive Media, Mutually Inclusive Media, and his interview program, "Fish's Call Sheet."

His life outside Hollywood has included work as an athlete, coach, teacher, bounty hunter, and rescue diver, experiences he says inform the characters and communities represented in his projects.

One Comment Finally Drew an Answer

Fishman is active online, where he regularly shares his work and personal views with followers. In August 2026, one comment prompted him to address a subject that had followed him for years.

The comment appeared in an Instagram reel and accused the United States of "backstabbing" Barr. It also claimed her comedy had been unfairly targeted when the revival was canceled.

Speaking directly to the camera with tearful eyes, Fishman said he regularly receives similar messages. "I get these kinds of ignorant and inaccurate comments daily," he explained. "For over eight years, I've been dealing with it quietly."

He acknowledged that he normally ignores the remarks, but said his silence had not helped. "So, I guess the world failed to learn the lesson. So I’m going to point out. We are perpetuating a lie, and people are using a political smokescreen to justify the indefensible," he said, noting that Barr herself had once used the word "indefensible" for her conduct.

Fishman then rejected the suggestion that the cancellation resulted from an edgy joke being misunderstood. "Dehumanizing people is never a joke," he said. "See, when we're onstage as comedians, or on camera, we have the freedom to say whatever we want. But that doesn't mean there's no responsibility and no consequences."

"The brilliant comedians help us laugh at the darkest, darkest topics," he continued. "Sadly, in this case, there was no joke. And the show was rightfully canceled."

His Affection for Barr Has Not Disappeared

Fishman's criticism did not erase the personal bond formed during his childhood. "I'll always have compassion and love [for Barr], and I've shown it continuously and she helped the world understand that good people can make mistakes," he said.

Still, he drew a firm line between loving someone and defending the harm caused by that person's actions. "But there was no joke," Fishman added. "There was only damage and dehumanizing, and perpetuating racial tropes leads to real-world consequences."

He also disputed the claim that Barr had been betrayed. "And the only people who were backstabbed were the people who were targeted by the statements. And those who became collateral damage from it," he said.

His final warning was blunt, telling people to simply keep their thoughts to themselves because words can have serious consequences.

Fishman reinforced that position in the reel's caption, writing, "Humanity crumbles when justify dehumanization and stay silent to suffering, inequality, exclusion, and oppression. We can do better. I was shaped by the show I grew up on. Now I am building bigger. Words have consequences."

Barr Previously Apologized for the Tweet

The comedian, now 73, addressed the controversy repeatedly in 2018 and maintained that her tweet was political rather than racial.

During an interview with Sean Hannity, Barr said the post concerned accountability over the Iran nuclear deal and Jarrett's involvement with it. She described herself as shocked that the public interpreted the message as racial.

In a separate podcast conversation with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, she acknowledged the pain it caused. "I have to face that it hurt people," she said.

"When you hurt people, even unwillingly, there's no excuse," Roseanne Barr continued. "I don't want to run off and blather on with excuses." She apologized to those who believed she intended something she said she did not mean, adding, "It was my own ignorance, and there's no excuse for that ignorance."

Fishman's position leaves little uncertainty about where he stands. He still loves the woman who helped launch his career, but he refuses to describe the incident that ended their show as comedy.

Today, the former child star continues to act, direct, produce, advocate, and communicate openly with the people who have followed his journey. More than three decades after walking onto the "Roseanne" set as a six-year-old newcomer, Fishman is using everything he learned there to create stories that encourage compassion and bring people together.