Roseanne reveals she suffered 'several nervous breakdowns' during her show's run on 20/20

Roseanne (TV Show) type TV Show

As Roseanne cemented it ratings-smash status on ABC in the late ’80s and ’90s, the sitcom’s star was struggling with fame and conflict behind the scenes.

On the heels of the show’s revival, Roseanne Barr sits down with 20/20 for a look back at her rocky original run — and what comes next — in a special airing Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10 p.m. on ABC.

“I fought too much and too hard and, you know, some of them, I shouldn’t have even been involved in having those fights,” says Barr in EW’s exclusive clip above. “But, you know, it was all just one big fight. And that’s how it felt.”

Things got so bad, Barr had to be hospitalized. “I had several nervous breakdowns, but fortunately, no one noticed,” she shares. “That was what I always thought. But no, I did have a few nervous breakdowns and was hospitalized several times. It was very difficult. Fame was difficult too.”

Barr isn’t concerned about history repeating itself when the show returns on March 27 on ABC. “This time, I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m 65. Thank God I’ve got Social Security now so I don’t have to worry,'” she says, laughing.

Barr discussed the show’s next chapter and her creative control in the revival’s Entertainment Weekly cover story earlier this month. “I don’t want to fight no more. I don’t have nothing to prove,” she said. “I already proved it so I just want to be fun and a smooth ride. I want to enjoy the good parts of it. That’s been possible this 10th season. I always felt like 10 was my magic number and I wanted 10 really bad. So I’m so happy that I got them because I feel like I needed 10 years to say all the things I wanted to say.”

20/20‘s “Roseanne: The Return” also features interviews with actors John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, Michael Fishman, Sarah Chalke, and more. The network says they’ll reveal “behind-the-scenes moments, memories, and what to expect from the revival.”

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