The Conners posed for a Christmas picture with Santa, but a family member was missing —and it wasn’t just late matriarch Roseanne. The stars of the ABC sitcom gathered for a family snap in the fall finale episode titled “Smoking Penguins and Santa on Santa Action.” But fans questioned why Darlene’s (Sara Gilbert) daughter Harris (Emma Kenney) was missing from the family festivities.
Viewers of The Conners know that Darlene’s troubled teen daughter recently moved out of her family’s house and in with her pot-smoking friend Odessa (Eliza Bennett). But it still seemed strange that she was nowhere in sight as the family decorated the house for Christmas and continued with holiday traditions.
At the end of the episode, Harris’ absence from the family Christmas snapshot — which includes all of the other Conner grandchildren, including newborn Beverly Rose — was referenced as Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) taped a picture of the missing teen into the photo and simultaneously cut out Dan’s (John Goodman) “friend” Louise (Katey Sagal).
In the comments section to the show’s Instagram post, fans wondered if the “taped in” photo of Darlene’s daughter was a sign that the character is off the show for good.
“When Jackie tapes in Harris,” one fan wrote.
“Is Harris not coming back?” another fan asked.
The Conners fans also chimed in on series star Sara Gilbert’s Instagram update that featured the photo with all of the other Conners dressed in red Santa suits and hats.
“Where’s Harris?” fans continued to ask.
Some Conners fans noted that the episode may have been taped when Emma Kenney was in rehab, but that timeline doesn’t add up. As The Inquisitr shared last year, the then-18-year-old actress sought treatment in early 2018 for unspecified personal issues.
Of course, it should be noted that Emma Kenney does double duty on TV. The actress juggles her work on The Conners with her long-running role as Debbie Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless .
Kenney certainly seems to be living her best life as a star on two hit TV shows. Earlier this year, she told Decider she was happy to move on to the second season of The Conners after the bulk of the first season centered on Roseanne’s memory.
“‘The Conners’ Season 2 almost does feel like a new show,” she said. “It’s a more mature version of the Conner family.”
There is no word on how many more episodes of The Conners Emma Kenney will appear in this season. The Roseanne spinoff returns in January with 10 more episodes.
