D.J. Conner is shipping out of The Conners.
On Aug. 29, it was revealed that Michael Fishman—who starred as D.J. on all 10 seasons of Roseanne and all four seasons of spin-off The Conners—would not be returning for season five in the fall.
Now, we know his fate.
"He's visiting [his wife Geena], who right now is stationed overseas," The Conners executive producer Bruce Helford told TVLine. "She was involved in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and she is still overseas on assignment, so he is going to be going over and spending time with his wife."
Helford said D.J.'s departure will be "addressed in the first few episodes."
Geena, played by Maya Lynne Robinson, was a regular cast member on season one of The Conners and returned for an appearance in the season three finale. It does not appear that Geena will actually be making an appearance in accordance with D.J.'s exit.
While D.J. is leaving Lanford, the door is not closed on future appearances.
"We love him," Bruce said about Michael. "He's part of the family. There's certainly no one saying he will never be on the show [again]. It's just a matter of whether storylines come up that are built for that."
When his exit was announced, Michael made it clear that the decision was not his own.
"While I was told I would not be returning for season five," he said in a statement to E! News, "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."
The actor expressed gratitude for being given opportunities to direct multiple episodes of The Conners and indicated he wants to "continue negotiating my next directing opportunities" while moving forward in his career.
Season five of The Conners premieres Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. ET.