What D.J. Conner From Roseanne Looks Like Today

D.J. Conner is all grown up, but Michael Fishman still bears that twinkle in his eyes when he smiles. Fishman was only 6 when he started portraying the rambunctious son of Dan and Roseanne Conner and 15 when the popular sitcom ended in 1997. A lot has happened between then and now. Fishman has since become a father, gotten married and divorced, and reprised the role of D.J. in the first four seasons of "The Conners" between 2018 and 2022. He occasionally did some behind-the-scenes work as a director on the show as well.

Fans of the sequel are familiar with the adult Fishman, but old-school fans of the original series might have to do a double-take. While his gaze is just as expressive as D.J.'s, the former "Roseanne" cast member looks quite different today. Born in October 1981, Fishman is in his mid-40s as of writing. As seen in the below photo taken in December 2025, he has lost the roundness to his face as an adult. Plus, he lost the bowl cut, which — as perfect as the haircut was for D.J. — was probably for best.  

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Today, the former '80s child star may not look a lot like his old self, but many fans think he grew up to be a good-looking man. "I know they always portrayed [D.J.] as a nerd or odd but I think he's cute as a button. I think he is handsome today lol," a Reddit user wrote in a 2024 thread. Others also agreed. "He was an adorable kid — actually one of my favorite child actors. Today he's a very handsome man!" a second Redditor replied. Many years separate the young Fishman from the adult one, but the impact of his character lives on.

When Michael Fishman unexpectedly left "The Conners" in 2022, it wasn't his decision. But he respected it and handled the exit with grace. "It's every [actor's] dream to be a series regular, especially on a groundbreaking show, where we tackle significant topics," he told People in a statement. When the show ended in 2025, viewers flocked to his socials to get his take.

But he refused to engage in any negativity. "People seem to want to have there be some kind of conflict or controversy, especially on my part," he said in an Instagram video. "The reality is, all I really have is empathy and understanding for all of the people on set, and all of our audience that's grieving." Fishman's opinions about the sitcom have remained the same throughout the years. He has never talked about his experience with anything but positivity, adding " ... I have only gratitude" in his Instagram post.

Shortly before "The Conners" ended, Fishman had talked about growing up in the spotlight and the steps his family took to ensure he had as normal a childhood as possible, such as having him go to public school and maintain a professional outlook on playing D.J. His TV family played a pivotal role in shaping his life and character as well. "Our cast really took care of me as a human being, but with our crew and all of our production people and writers, there was an element for me where I was never allowed to be a child star," he told Rewind Magazine. "So, I think that really shifted things."