During a recent appearance on the Can't Be Censored podcast, Roseanne Barr directed a series of insults at former Roseanne co-star Michael Fishman. The outburst followed Fishman's recent assertion that the 2018 cancellation of the Roseanne revival was a justified response to her controversial social media posts.
The May 2018 ABC cancellation and the Valerie Jarrett tweet
The controversy that sparked this latest explosion began in May 2018 when Roseanne Barr posted a tweet comparing former Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett to characters from the Planet of the Apes. As reported by the Daily Mail, this specific comparison led ABC to cancel the Roseanne revival less than two months after it premiered. This decision was particularly striking because the show had been the third-highest-rated program in the United States during that period.
The original post, which linked the Muslim Brotherhood to the Planet of the Apes, was widely condemned as racist by critics and the public alike.. While Barr initially attemptted to defend the remark as a joke, the intense backlash from the network and viewers resulted in her immediate removal from the series, marking a definitive end to her mainstream television era.
Barr's "little worm" tirade on the Can't Be Censored podcast
During a recent appearance on the Can't Be Censored podcast, Roseanne Barr launched a profanity-heavy attack against her former co-star, Michael Fishman. When podcast co-host Travis Dhanraj attempted to ask for her reaction to Fishman’s recent criticisms, Barr interrupted with a barrage of insults, calling the 44-year-old actor a "brainwashed bigot" and a "little fucking worm."
The outburst was a direct response to Fishman's assertion that the 2018 cancellation was a justified consequence of her "indefensible" remarks. According to the report, Barr claimed that Fishman is an "ignoramus" who refuses to understand her perspective because it conflicts with the modern Democratic Party platform. Barr's representative told the Daily Mail that the comedian was simply "snapping" after enduring years of disgust.
A defense centered on the Iran nuclear deal
In an attempt to reframe the 2018 controversy, Roseanne Barr used the podcast to offer a new interpretation of her controversial social media history. Barr alleged that her references to Planet of the Apes were not racial in nature, but were instead intended as a nickname for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Barr argued that her comments were actually directed at the 2015 nuclear deal established during the second Obama administration. She claimed the deal negatively impacted the rights of women in Iran, suggesting that her critique was aimed at geopolitical policy and the actions of the Iranian government rather than the race of Valerie Jarrett. This attempt to pivot the narrative seeks to distance her previous actions from the accusations of racism that ended her ABC contract.
The silence from Michael Fishman's representatives
While Barr's representative has provided context for her outburst, several aspects of this feud remain unverified by the reporting. It is currently unclear how Michael Fishman or his representatives intend to respond to the specific, highly personal allegations made during the Can't Be Censored broadcast, as they have not yet commented on the matter.
Furthermore, the source does not clarify whether Fishman's recent comments were the sole catalyst for the outburst or if the tension has been building through other unmentioned interactions over the last nine years. Without a response from Fishman, the public is left to wonder if this verbal escalation represents a permanent rift or merely a momentary lapse in the long-standing relationship between the former Roseanne cast members.
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