Roseanne Barr’s daughter Jenny Pentland spoke out about the contrast between their ‘parallelized’ reality and the one she saw on her mom’s sitcom.
The 45-year old shared a portion of her memoir, “This Will Be Funny Later,” published by HuffPost. She explained how the ABC series Roseanne was inspired by her family. Roseanne Conner’s mom, she said, played Roseanne Conner. This is a friendly, prime-time version of Roseanne.
Roseanne was inspired by Pentland’s father Bill, while Becky, Darlene and D.J. were inspired by Pentland. She, Jessica Pentland’s sister, and Jake, were her inspirations. Barr’s sister Geraldine was the inspiration for Jackie.
However, the comic’s fame and meteoric rise has also led to other realities behind the scenes: infidelity, multiple marriages, difficult children, and aninfamous divorce. Adoption of an unwed daughter.
Jenny Pentland 45 opened up about the ABC show ‘Roseanne’ and her family’ in a portion of her new memoir, “This Will Be Funny Later”.
Pentland’s mother Roseanne Barr was Roseanne Conner, (far right), which is an ‘intimate version’ of Pentland. Becky and Darlene were her television children. D.J. (center), based on Pentland and Jessica her sister, as well as her brother Jake, the TV kids she created – Becky, Darlene and D.J.
Pentland (center) is shown with her mother (second from right), Jake, Jessica (farright), and Brandi Brown (farleft) in 1994
Pentland stated that the shows were rated R as the reality of our lives became more apparent. He added, “As the seasons progressed, it seemed like the series was a parallel-reality version” of the events that would have occurred if the show had never been created.
Roseanne, Dan and Dan continued to be married. However, Barr split with Bill in 1990 following 16 years of marriage. After an affair with Tom Arnold (comedian), she divorced Bill in 1990.
Barr and Arnold were divorced in 1994. From 1995 to 2000, she was married again to Ben Thomas. They had one son together, Buck.
Brandi Brown is also her daughter. She was born prior to her first marriage, and she put her up for adoption. When The National Enquirer found out about her secret daughter, Barr hired a private detective to find Brandi, which prompted their reunion.
Pentland stated that Jessica, her younger sister, was exposed to the media and that Jessica rebelled as teenagers. Pentland also said that Becky had never requested a coffin or purchased meth.
In addition, she shared other details about the difficulties that her and her siblings faced while filming was underway, including cults, mental illness, and overdoses.
Due to their drug and behavior, the siblings were placed in multiple schools of reform and mental institutions. They were eventually allowed to return home when they reached legal age.
Barr’s husband Bill (left), was the inspiration for Dan Conner (right), on the sitcom. It ran from 1988-1997 and was briefly revived by 2018
Roseanne’s sister Jackie (right), was created from Geraldine, the comedian’s real sister (left).
Pentland claimed that Roseanne’s daughters Becky (pictured with her as a child) and Darlene (pictured with her sister Jessica).
Pentland admitted she ‘resented Parallel Jenny’s simple life,’ noting that neither Becky nor Darlene suffered from PTSD or anxiety disorders from being locked up
‘Neither Becky nor Darlene had to manage a public life because of their mother’s fame. There were no crash diets as they didn’t struggle with their weight. They lived at home until their teen years. When they brought in boys to their home, they were allowed to remain and became part of their family.
They had never suffered from PTSD, mental illness or anxiety disorder. Neither of them had been indoctrinated into a cult, OD’d, or spent a year or more in a private mental health facility. They were lightweight, PG versions of us with no complicated backstories. It must be lovely.
In an interview with People, Pentland said her mother and father sent them to these facilities, including a wilderness boot camp, in response to them ‘acting out’ upon the recommendation of education and behavior experts.
“I was struggling with my grades. I also had bad habits like cutting my arms and smoking. Just depressed,’ she recalled, claiming Jessica was first sent to a psychiatric hospital in Los Angeles for stealing Barr’s car for a joyride.
Pentland stated that she saw and suffered emotional and physical abuse in several facilities where she was sent and later struggled with PTSD.
‘I resented Parallel Jenny’s simple life. I couldn’t watch the show without feeling angry, and then I couldn’t watch it because TV was not allowed in reform school,’ she wrote in her memoir.
Pentland was pictured as an adolescent. He went to many reform schools and psychiatric facilities, as well as a wilderness boot camp, between the ages 13. and 18.
Jessica, the writer claims that she asked for a coffin to be used as her bed. Jessica was sent first to Los Angeles’ psychiatric hospital after she stole Barr’s car.
Barr had an affair (pictured in 1989), with Tom Arnold, comedian. Bill was divorced in 1990.
Barr and Arnold were together in 2005, the year after she had divorced her first husband.
‘I didn’t see anything beyond the second season until I was 24 and a married housewife with a kid of my own, stuck at home and able to catch the reruns airing seemingly nonstop on Nickelodeon.
“It made me sad to think of what I missed but it was a way for me to live a happy life. My pain was so dull that I could still enjoy jokes. “I made an effort to catch-up.
Pentland is married to Jeff and has five children: Eitan 21 years old, Cosmo 16 years, Otis 14 months, Buster 12 and Ezra 18 months.
Watching the show as an adult made her realize that she now related more to Dan and Roseanne than Darlene, a character who was an amalgam of her and her sister.
‘I would have a conversation with my husband, Jeff, and then I would hear it almost verbatim from the other room, but in my mom’s voice,’ she wrote. ‘Imagine what that does to a Jewish daughter’s fear of turning into her mother.
“I was struck by the similarity of my early childhood and those in the seasons, as well as the differences. It forced me back to the past I used to be so happy to have left behind.
Pentland is pictured here with Jeff. She stated that Pentland witnessed emotional and physical abuse and later suffered from PTSD.
Pentland is married to Jeff and has five children: Eitan 21 years old, Cosmo 16 years, Otis 14 months, Buster 12 and Ezra 18 months.
After Barr posted a racist slur about Valerie Jarrett (an ex-advisor to President Barack Obama), the ABC’s Rosanne reboot was cancelled in May 2018.
Pentland stated that Pentland wrote her memoir ‘as an act of self-imposed cathartic therapy’ and said she felt compelled to write it.
“I stopped worrying about what was wrong and focused on the actual pain, rather than dwelling on who is to blame,” she stated. “My mom and I have a complex mother-daughter relation, but we can still find value in these relationships.
“Ultimately, I felt grateful for the love of my parents. And that’s the message I hope readers will take away from my book: Life is complicated, but love is the most important thing.’
Pentland said that Pentland decided to share her story as a form of therapy and catharsis. She explained how she was able to see herself through the eyes of her parents by writing the book.
Pentland claimed that Pentland now enjoys a close relationship with both of her parents.
Barr’s public image has been low for the past three-years in light of the ABC reboot she was part of in May 2018 after tweeting a racial slur about Valerie Jarrett who used to be an advisor to ex-President Barack Obama.
Barr subsequently said that she was under the influence of Ambien — a sedative used to treat insomnia — and was unaware that Jarrett is Black.
The Conners replaced the original show with Barr’s overdose-dead character.
Pentland touched briefly on the scandal surrounding her mother in her book, but then went into more detail about her tweets. The Daily Beast reported that Pentland did not go into much detail.
‘Her internet-trolling, name-calling, conspiracy-theory-based tweets were upsetting to people, and even though her public relations staff and the network suggested she stay off Twitter, she kept at it,’ Pentland wrote of her mother. ‘She doesn’t like being told what to do, in case we haven’t already established that.’
Pentland stated that ABC cancelled the reboot not because of her mother’s feelings.
‘I could tell she wasn’t truly invested in the new Roseanne show,’ she said. ‘Most of her time was spent studying Judaism or watching true-crime programs, and this new attempt at staying relevant in an industry she didn’t much care for seemed more of a burden than a joy. We had spoken on the phone several times and she had always sounded tired.