What Happened to 'Barney' Creator Sheryl Leach's Husband? Peacock Docuseries Has People Curious
Published Oct. 13 2022, 6:36 p.m. ET
Did you know that a Texas schoolteacher was responsible for the creation of one of the most iconic children's characters of all time? Her name is Sheryl Leach.
The story of how Sheryl created Barney and the backlash that followed is examined in the new Peacock docuseries I Love You, You Hate Me.
It turns out Barney the character was inspired by Sheryl's desire to keep her (then-preschool-aged) son Patrick Leach entertained. But people are also curious to know more about Sheryl's ex-husband — as well as who her current partner is. Plus, what projects has her partner collaborated with her on?
Here's what we know.
Who was Sheryl Leach's husband?
Sheryl met her first husband, Jim Leach, when she was working as a writer at DLM Inc., according to the Barney Fandom Wiki. The couple dated and got married within the same year. Their son Patrick was born in 1987.
Barney's fame grew exponentially from the moment Sheryl created the iconic purple dinosaur in 1988. According to Newsweek, Jim initially agreed to be a stay-at-home dad to take care of Patrick while Sheryl worked on the Barney franchise. However, eventually the character's success spelled the end of their marriage. Sheryl and Jim divorced in 2001.
Sadly, Jim died by suicide three years later.
Sheryl declined to participate in I Love You, You Hate Me. She's spent many of her years, post-Barney fame (and backlash), dedicated to philanthropy.
It's not known exactly when, but Sheryl eventually met her now life partner, Howard Rosenfeld.
Who is Sheryl Leach's partner Howard Rosenfeld?
Howard is Sheryl's partner in life and in love. Together, the couple founded the private organization known as the Shei'rah Foundation.
According to her bio for the Academy for Social Purpose in Responsible Entertainment (for which she serves on the advisory board), the aim of the the Shei'rah Foundation is to support projects in the media that spotlight the human spirit in a positive way.
Through the Shei'rah Foundation, Sheryl and Howard have been able to support other organizations like Connecticut Public Television, NEXTNEXT Entertainment, the Global White Lion Protection Trust, The Alliance For a New Humanity, Foundation for Conscious Evolution and many, many more, per her bio.
Howard also partnered with Sheryl to create a sustainable market called the Smithy in New Preston, Conn.
The market's mission is to sell goods and food that are all locally sourced to the area. That way, they could support farmers and goods producers local to the area with their business efforts.
Sheryl Leach and Howard Rosenfeld don't appear to have social media of any sort.
Sheryl and Howard don't have any public social media channels to speak of, and both declined to participate in speaking during the I Love You, You Hate Me documentary.
However, given the immense backlash following Barney's initial upswing of popularity, we can't say we blame them for that choice one bit.
You can stream both episodes of I Love You, You Hate Me now on Peacock.