"Grateful" Roseanne Barr Was Reunited With Biological Daughter Thanks to a Tabloid

Giving up a child for adoption is one of the most difficult choices a parent can make. If you have carried a baby for nine months and still choose to give the baby up, it's almost certainly due to the fact that you think it's the best thing for both the baby and yourself.

This is what Roseanne Barr faced when she was just 17 years old, according to a new documentary titled Roseanne Is America.

The occasionally political former television star once headlined the American comedy series Roseanne, playing the titular character. But she had her own television-worthy family drama, having once been shipped off to live in a home for unwed mothers when she found herself a pregnant teenager.

She gave her daughter up for adoption and moved on with her life and her career. But Roseanne was later reunited with that daughter thanks to a tabloid. Here's what she had to say about that experience.

Roseanne has five children, including the daughter she once gave up for adoption in 1971, Brandi Brown. Her other children are named Jennifer, Jessica, Jake, and Buck.

But her experience in reuniting with her daughter Brandi came as a surprise when the girl was the same age as Roseanne was when she gave her daughter up for adoption: 17.

In the documentary, Roseanne recounts, "When I gave my daughter up for adoption, I said to her, 'I’ll see you again when you're 18 because I’m not going to change my name, and I’m going to be famous. I’m going to have my own show named Roseanne'" (excerpt via People).

She recalled that she had left information for her daughter to be able to seek her out when she turned 21. And as Brandi turned 17, Roseanne told her children about her because she assumed her daughter might try to find her when she turned 18.

However, a tabloid interrupted the natural progression of things. According to the documentary, the tabloid National Enquirer discovered information about Brandi once Roseanne struck it big in Hollywood. Due to the tabloid's tireless pursuit of Brandi, Roseanne says that she eventually hired a private detective to find her daughter and connect with her before she could read about herself being Roseanne's daughter in a tabloid.

At first, Roseanne was angry that they took the choice away from her and Brandi.

But after she saw her daughter, she described being "so glad" that they found each other.

In the documentary, Roseanne described the moment when she met her daughter for the first time: "I turned around and felt this powerful magnet. We looked at each other, Brandi jumped out of her seat, and we started running toward each other. We embraced and wouldn't let go of each other, hugging and crying" (excerpt via People).

Now, she's "grateful" that the tabloid pushed them back together.

In one 2024 photo, Roseanne shared a photo of herself with Brandi, calling her the "oldest bb" and noting that she met her when she was 17, but now she's 52.

It was a sweet development, and a good outcome for both women, despite the dubious circumstances that forced their hand in reuniting.