Emma Kenney Opens up About ‘The Conners’ in Wake of Roseanne Barr Exit

Emma Kenney is opening up about stepping back into the Conner family for The Conners in the wake of Roseanne Barr’s exit from the popular ABC revival.

When The Conners makes its debut on ABC next month, one familiar face from the beloved family will be absent, that of matriarch Roseanne Barr. Although it remains to be seen how Barr’s namesake character will be written off following Roseanne‘s cancellation and her cutting ties with ABC, series star Emma Kenney has revealed what it was like getting back to filming with her absence.

“The first table read was great,” Kenney, who portrayed Darlene’s daughter Harris on Roseanne and is set to reprise the role for The Conners, told Us Weekly. “It was so nice to see everyone, and I’m so happy. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”

Despite Barr’s absence from the series, Kenney claimed that returning to set and getting back into production was easy, as the cast was eager to continue telling the story of the Conner family.

“I think that all of us are very professional,” she said. “And there’s just so many more stories that need to be told through the Conner family and so many other different aspects of life that we’re going to get to tell, and I’m really excited and grateful for that.”

As for what she is most looking forward to exploring when it comes to her own character, Kenney said that she wants to see Harris better adjusting to life in the small town of Lanford.

“We saw in the last season her struggling, having moved from Chicago to a small town with her family, so I’m just really hoping that Harris will find more connections within her family,” she said.

At the time of the scandal that led to ABC’s cancellation of its Roseanne revival, Kenny was among the first cast members to speak out against Barr’s racially charged tweet regarding former Obama aid Valerie Jarrett.

“I am hurt, embarrassed, and disappointed. The racist and distasteful comments from Roseanne are inexcusable,” she wrote.

At the time, Kenney also planned on exiting the show.

“As I called my manager to quit working on Roseanne, I found out the show got cancelled,” she continued. “I feel so empowered by [Wanda Sykes], Channing Dungey and those at ABC standing up against abuse of power and lack of values. Bullies do not win. Ever.”

However, when ABC announced that the Conners’ story would continue in a spinoff series, Kenny was “in.”

The Conners premieres Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.