Roseanne Barr opened up about shocking details of her health amid cosmetic procedure talks.
The longtime actress let fans in on a diagnosis she got from her doctor, which does not sit right with her. This comes years after she shared a previous misdiagnosis she got about losing her eyesight that left her with a pound of worry.
Roseanne Barr has built a career in the entertainment world over the years, rising to fame as a comedian. She recently lost face in the public eye following a racist tweet she made after returning for a reboot of her hit show “Roseanne” in 2018.
Roseanne Barr’s Doctor Says She Has A ‘Damaged Heart’
Barr gave fans a health update on a recent episode of her “The Roseanne Barr Podcast” while discussing her plans to uplift her appearance. She shared that she was thinking of going under the knife in Korea for a ponytail facelift. Speaking further, she disclosed that her inspiration for the procedure came from admiring popular reality TV stars, The Kardashians, but particularly, Kris Jenner.
However, for Barr to be comfortable getting on the surgery table, she says that her doctor has his concerns. The actress shared that she has been diagnosed with a “damaged heart” and has been advised to get her heart checked. As she continued the conversation, the comedian said that she is considering getting a new doctor because hearing the news of her heart got her pissed, in addition to her doctor always referring her to other doctors for further check-ups.
“And I’m like, why do I have to go find something wrong when nothing’s wrong and then get in shape just so I can have surgery and die on the surgery table?” she said before adding, “I mean, it doesn’t make any sense,” Barr explained her line of reasoning stating that she would rather not get ready for any sort of surgery for the rest of her life.
The conversation then shifted to her thoughts on near-death care, where the actress revealed that she would prefer to spend her last days in Hospice. According to Barr, being taken care of by the caregivers and put on a morphine drip sounds like a wholesome way to go.
The Comedian Spent A Year Of Her Life Holding On To A Misdiagnosis
Over a decade ago, Barr received news from her doctor that her eyesight was deteriorating and, in time, she would become blind. She announced at the time that she had macular degeneration and glaucoma. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, the two conditions are distinct but can coexist, causing vision loss.
Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions characterized by damage to the optic nerve, typically (but not always) due to abnormally high pressure within the eye. On the other hand, Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), occurs when the retina’s central portion, the macula, which is responsible for sharp, central vision needed for activities like reading, driving, and recognizing faces, deteriorates.
Because her father had macular degeneration, Barr accepted the diagnosis, thinking it was genetic. About a year later, PEOPLE reported that she saw a new doctor who discovered that she did not have AMD, but rather, a mole was growing inside her eye, which was responsible for her narrowing vision. The actress shared that at the time, she was already gearing up to have the mole surgically removed.
The ‘Roseanne’ Star Kept A Positive Mindset All Year Long
The comedian disclosed that one thing that lifted her spirit after receiving the misdiagnosis at the time was the fact that other people she knew were having greater health challenges. “It was a way better diagnosis than some of my friends were getting. It’s not deadly. I didn’t take it too badly,” she previously said.
Because she thought she was losing her eyesight due to the increased pressure in her eyes, Barr turned to marijuana as a treatment plan. The TV star admitted that she was scared initially, thinking of what her life would be like without sight, but she later learned to accept the news.
Her mindset that “nothing will go right in life” toned down the degree of worry she would have faced. Barr shared that she believes that the things we least expect happen most times, and as such, she has learned to live each day to the fullest, having fun and doing good deeds anonymously.
The Comedian’s Ex-husband Attested To Her Mental Health Issues
The 73-year-old producer opened up about her mental health challenges, sharing that she was heavily medicated at some point to help her deal with her mental health battles. In 2011, she retracted the claims she previously put forth about being sexually abused by her parents.
The actress explained that she was prescribed several mixtures of psychiatric drugs to deal with her mental illness. As a result of using those strong medicines, she lost touch with reality in a big way. Her ex-husband, Tom Arnold, while addressing the viral racist tweet she posted on social media in 2018 about former President Obama’s advisor, hinted at her mental health issues as well.
Arnold shared that his ex-wife had dealt with mental illness for years and had been open about it throughout their marriage. PEOPLE reported that according to him, she dealt with multiple personality disorder. Arnold also argued that, in his opinion, Barr should get off social media completely, noting that her tweet did not come as a surprise to him.
Inside Roseanne Barr’s Viral Tweet
The now-deleted tweet read, “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes had a baby = VJ,” using Valerie Jarrett’s initials in response to a tweet about a conspiracy theory about the Obama administration. She later apologized, admitting that her comment was a bad joke and stated that she had indulged in a mixture of Ambien and alcohol when she made the post.
The tweet resulted in a stab at her career as ABC canceled her “Roseanne” reboot that year, bringing an abrupt end to her career in Hollywood. The then-ABC Entertainment president, Channing Dungey, voiced out, saying that Barr’s statement was inconsistent with the network’s values, and Disney CEO Bob Iger shared in his views. Iger acknowledged that canceling the show was the right thing to do.
The Blast shared that the sitcom said that she had no regrets about making the post, as God instructed her to do so. “The way I feel about it is that God told me to do what I did, and it was a nuclear bomb,” she said. “The day of my tweet, over 2 million Americans googled Valerie Jarrett and the Iran deal. And that was my intent. So, whatever.”