Couples
Was Jackie (aka Laurie Metcalf) Really Pregnant During ‘Roseanne’? We’ve Got the Answer!
Was she or wasn't she?!
During Season 6 of Roseanne, Laurie Metcalf's character, Jackie Harris, announced she was pregnant — and eagle-eyed fans quickly realized the actress also appeared to be expecting in real life.
So, was Laurie really pregnant while filming Roseanne? The answer is yes!
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When Laurie announced to the sitcom's showrunners that she was expecting her second child, son Will Theron Roth, back in early 1993, the Roseanne producers decided to write her pregnancy into the series' plot so Laurie wouldn't have to hide her baby bump on camera.
Jackie — who was main character Roseanne Conner's younger sister on the show — revealed she was pregnant with her first baby during the sixth season after having a one-night stand with a man named Fred. Fred was previously introduced as Roseanne's husband Dan Conner's co-worker.
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Throughout the season, Jackie further proved to fans that she was really expecting by baring her growing belly in several episodes — no prosthetic baby bump needed! By the end of the season, Jackie gave birth to a son named Andy and two months later, she tied the knot with Andy's dad, Fred.
Unfortunately, Jackie and Fred later split and her struggles as a single mom to Andy became a central plotline of Roseanne until the show ended after nine seasons in 1997.
In real life, Laurie is a mom-of-four. She gave birth to daughter Zoe Perry (with her first husband, Jeff Perry) in 1984 and her son Will (with second husband Matt Roth) in 1993. In 2005, the actress and Matt welcomed daughter Mae Akins Roth via surrogate and in 2006, the couple adopted their son Donovan Roth.
Interestingly, Laurie is far from the first star to be pregnant while starring on a TV show. Courteney Cox hid her baby bump during Season 10 on Friends, Kerry Washington was pregnant with her daughter on the third season of Scandal, and Alyson Hannigan was expecting during Season 4 of How I Met Your Mother, just to name a few!
