The Conners' Michael Fishman Speaks Out About His Son Larry's Fatal Overdose

At the time of his son's death, the Roseanne alum said he was in the process of adopting Larry after meeting his sister.

"I think he chose me...," the actor told Tamron. "I have two biological children from a previous marriage, and at the end of that marriage, I met his older sister, Camille. A friend of mine kind of said, 'She needs some support and guidance and mentorship.'"

Michael explained they all "became this family unit," alongside his two children—Isabelle and Aaron—who he shares with his ex-wife, Jennifer Briner.

Roseanne was probably elated.

DJ is old enough to have a son who overdosed? I feel old as fuck now.

It’s not really his son. He was in the process of adopting him.

He didn't want a father who looked like Eddie Munster, so he checked-out.

Are people still naming their sons Larry?

R5 wrested a laugh out of me. So ashamed.

How old was Larry? This seems like a sketchy situation. It sounds like the sister Camille was a love interest.

Was it like a Matt Gaetz thing where he was “dating” the sister and took on a fatherly role for her younger brother? Or did he adopt the sister first?

This story is odd.

I'm also curious about his relationship with Larry's sister. The way he describes their meeting, it sounds like she was his lover. In that case, it would have been awkward to adopt Larry, when he could just be a role model brother-in-law.

I'm watching The Conners right now and DJ still seems so young. Everyone else looks super old.

Well, maybe he adopted both the brother and the sister. Larry's sister was younger than him. This tweet from June (quoted in the article) suggests that he has four kids (his two bio kids plus two more):

"I love my kids! My oldest is my #humor my older son my #guide my younger #son #truth and my youngest, she is my rock, my #motivation and my reminder to be better each day."

I don't care if Roseanne said something mildly racist online. The show's reboot is shit out of luck without her. I hate that they killed her off in an overdose over one small misstep, and kept the show on air even though it was heavily compromised.

R5 Jokes aside, he was a cute kid, but hasn't aged well. That being said, he seems to be fairly level-headed, and decent. I'm sorry this happened to him.

He looks rockabilly

I agree, R12. They should have made her apologize and maybe take a diversity training course. They they should have let her return to the show, and created an episode about racial biases.

They actually did an episode back in the 80s when Roseanne questioned whether she was subconsciously racist. DJ was in a school play, and he didn't want to kiss his co-star because she was black. When the girl's dad showed up at the diner, a little frustrated, to talk to Roseanne about the issue, Roseanne reacted fearfully. Then she questioned why she had reacted the way she did. In the reboot, DJ's wife is his co-star from the play.

He is quite sensitive. He reacted very strongly, but maturely, when Roseanne costar Glenn Quinn died of a drug overdose in 2002. In fact, Larry's death may be triggering feelings from back then.

I wish they would give him more lines and storylines on the show.

I thought for sure this had to be an interview with Glenn Quinn’s father. Very confusing.

Poor Glenn. Such a handsome hunk on the show, and so sad that he died.

[quote]I don't care if Roseanne said something mildly racist online. The show's reboot is shit out of luck without her. I hate that they killed her off in an overdose over one small misstep, and kept the show on air even though it was heavily compromised.

It is fairly lacking. Sara Gilbert can't carry the show. My guess is, what Roseanne said/did/whatever (can't even remember, honestly) was the last straw after years of problems.

I remember him taking up a collection to pay for Glenn Quinn's funeral.

Whole thing sounds Fishman.

I just saw Roseanne on her daughter's Instagram. She was singing and playing with her infant grandson, and looked delighted.

It made my heart happy, but I also felt a sense of loss.

I know, I know. It's stupid, but she was a big part of my childhood, and I have some sort of maternal connection to her.

I wish they had worked with her more. The show will never be what it could have been with her in it. (I'm assuming, because I refuse to watch them kill her off.)

Plus now I'm bummed that Glenn Quinn died.

[quote] “I think he chose me...," the actor told Tamron. "I have two biological children from a previous marriage, and at the end of that marriage, I met his older sister, Camille. A friend of mine kind of said, 'She needs some support and guidance and mentorship.'" Michael explained they all "became this family unit," alongside his two children—Isabelle and Aaron—who he shares with his ex-wife, Jennifer Briner.

Sounds like he adopted the girl as a single parent. A friend told him about a girl who needed a mentor & Fishman adopts her?