Roseanne Barr was fired from the revived "Roseanne" series in 2018 after posting racist tweets, which led ABC to cancel the show abruptly. Following her dismissal, the network retooled the series into the spinoff "The Conners," which continued without her involvement
. In "The Conners," Roseanne Conner's character was written out by having her die offscreen from an opioid overdose, a storyline that was revealed early in the spinoff's first season. This tragic death was used to explore the family's grief and allowed the show to continue focusing on the remaining characters without Roseanne Barr
. Despite her absence, the show frequently referenced Roseanne Conner as the family's matriarch, acknowledging her importance to the story. However, due to legal restrictions stemming from Barr's exit, "The Conners" was not able to use any footage or likeness of Roseanne Barr in flashbacks or montages, including in the series finale
. Roseanne Barr has expressed that she found it painful to watch the show after her firing and the character's death, feeling the opioid overdose storyline was a dark turn for the otherwise lighthearted family show. Her family has stated they did not watch "The Conners" after her departure and were only informed when the show ended
. In summary, Roseanne Barr was removed from the show due to her controversial social media conduct, her character was killed off by an opioid overdose in "The Conners," and the series continued without her for seven seasons, often referencing but never showing her character again