What Is Michael Fishman’s Net Worth and Salary?
Michael Fishman is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and podcaster who has a net worth of $8 million. Michael Fishman began his acting career while he was in elementary school. His very first professional acting role was D.J. Conner on the immensely popular ABC sitcom “Roseanne” (1988–1997), and he reprised the role on the 2018 revival as well as the spin-off “The Conners” (2018–2022). The reboot had been earning extremely high ratings, with over 10 million people tuning into the season finale and 20 million people tuning in for the season premiere. Michael was earning roughly $100,00 per episode of the reboot until the show was canceled due to racist remarks Roseanne Barr made on Twitter.
Michael has also appeared in the films “Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home” (1998), “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001), and “Undrafted” (2016), the TV movie “Abducted by My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story” (2023), and the television series “The Jackie Thomas Show” (1992–1993), “Seinfeld” (1997), “Hitz” (1997), and “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1999). Fishman was a writer and producer on Roseanne Barr’s talk show, “The Roseanne Show” (1998–2000), and he appeared in numerous episodes. He worked on Barr’s show “The Tipping Point” as well, as a writer, director, and production designer. Michael created the podcast “Fish’s Call Sheet” (2020–2021), and he wrote, directed, and produced the 2021 short film “Tension.” He has also directed five episodes of “The Conners,” and he has produced the feature films “Available: A Modern Day Fairy Tale” (2013) and “A Place in the Field” (2022), the short films “Shayna” (2013), “Anxiety” (2013), “Found” (2014), “Debris” (2015), “Fragile Storm” (2015), and “Mancha” (2022), and the miniseries “Halsnøy” (2015).
Early Life
Michael Fishman was born Michael Aaron Fishman on October 22, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. Michael comes from a Jewish family, and he is the son of Denatu and Daryl Fishman. He has two siblings, Matthew and Robyn, and Matthew appeared in a 1995 episode of “Roseanne.” Michael grew up in Orange County, and he attended Arnold Elementary School and the Orange County High School of the Arts.
Career
Fishman met Roseanne Barr during an audition, and after he impressed her with a joke he told, she fought for him to be cast as her character’s son, D.J. Conner, on “Roseanne.” Michael began starring on the show when he was 6 years old, and he was 15 when he finished filming the original run of the series. “TV Guide” ranked “Roseanne” #35 on its 2002 “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time” list and #32 on its 2013 “60 Best Series of All Time.” Fishman won a Young Artist Award for his performance on the show. “Roseanne” was revived in 2018, but it was canceled after Barr wrote racist remarks on Twitter. Later that year, the show was retooled as “The Conners,” and Michael directed the episodes “Halloween and the Election vs. the Pandemic” (2020), “Sober Sex, Plastic Silverware, and Losing My Religion” (2021), “Three Exes, Role Playing and a Waterbed” (2022), “Patriarchs and Goddesses” (2022), and “Messy Situation, Miscommunication and Academic Probation” (2022).
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Before the fifth season of “The Conners,” Fishman was informed that he wouldn’t be coming back to the show. He later told “People” magazine, “It has been my honor to play D.J. Conner. It’s every actors dream to be a series regular, especially on a groundbreaking show, where we tackle significant topics. The opportunity to do comedy and drama alongside iconic castmates, while reaching fans in meaningful ways has profoundly impacted my life. I am proud of the work I did as part of ‘Roseanne’ and ‘The Conners.’ Especially the privilege of playing a Military Veteran, Interracial Spouse, and the father of a Bi-racial child, portrayed by the amazing Jayden Rey.” He added, “While I was told I would not be returning for season 5, Lanford was a valuable place to grow up, learn and develop. I was incredibly lucky to return home and demonstrate my expansion. As I venture into the world to build the future, I send tremendous love and success to everyone involved in production.” Michael has also played D.J. on the animated series “Little Rosey” (1991), in a 1992 episode of the sitcom “The Jackie Thomas Show,” and in the 2011 video “Roseanne: Tricks & Treats.”
Michael lent his voice to a 1996 episode of “Hey Arnold!,” then he guest-starred on “Seinfeld” (1997), “Hitz” (1997), and “Walker, Texas Ranger” (1999). His first film was 1998’s “Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home,” and from 1998 to 2000, he appeared on “The Roseanne Show,” which he co-hosted, wrote for, and produced. In 2001, he had a small role in the film “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” alongside Jude Law, Haley Joel Osment, Frances O’Connor, Brendan Gleeson, and William Hurt. The film grossed $235.9 million at the box office and won a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film. In 2016, Fishman appeared in the comedy-drama “Undrafted,” and in 2023, he starred in the “Ripped From the Headlines” TV movie “Abducted By My Teacher: The Elizabeth Thomas Story.” In 2020, he created the podcast “Fish’s Call Sheet,” which was described as “a behind the scenes view of the entertainment industry, celebrating the talented people who make film, television, and streaming production possible.”
Personal Life
Michael married Jennifer Briner on October 22, 1999, and they welcomed daughter Isabelle and son Aaron together. Fishman and Briner separated in mid-2017, and Jennifer filed for divorce in April 2019. Michael adopted a daughter, Camille Spirlin, in 2019, and in 2020, he was in the process of adopting her younger brother, Larry, when Larry died of a drug overdose. According to Michael, the teenager “moved to a house in transition after living with his sister for a little while, and he tried drugs that turned out to be bad drugs that multiple people had a very serious reaction.” Fishman co-founded the environmental charity Altruistic Acres with his daughter Isabelle and the social outreach organization WeComend with his business partner Michael Lee Johnson.
Awards and Nominations
Fishman earned three Young Artist Award nominations for “Roseanne,” winning Best Performance: Young Actor in a TV Comedy Series in 1995. His other nominations were for Best Young Actor Under Nine Years of Age (1989) and Exceptional Performance by a Young Actor Under Nine (1991). In 1997, he received a YoungStar Award nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series for “Roseanne,” and in 2008, the show won the Innovator Award at the TV Land Awards. Michael earned a Sports Emmy nomination for Outstanding Production Design/Art Direction for “Sports Science” in 2007, and “Available: A Modern Day Fairy Tale” was named Best Feature Film – Romantic Comedy at the 2014 Indie Gathering International Film Festival.
