On the Roseanne episode “No Country for Old Women,” Roseanne (Roseanne Barr) and Jackie (Laurie Metcalf) deal with their mother Bev (Estelle Parsons) who’s been kicked out of her nursing home. Friend of the family Nancy Bartlett Thomas stops by, too. In the original Roseanne series, Nancy was married to Dan’s friend Arnie Thomas (Tom Arnold, Roseanne Barr’s husband at the time). Nancy opened The Lanford Lunchbox diner with Roseanne. When Nancy breaks up with Arnie, she announces she’s gay. She later discovers that she’s bisexual. Some of her lovers have been portrayed by Morgan Fairchild, Tim Curry and Mariel Hemingway. Nancy is portrayed by stand-up comedian Sarah Bernhard.
Sarah Bernhard launched her stand-up career at The Comedy Store and become a player on The Richard Pryor Show in 1977. She made her big screen debut in Martin Scorsese’s film The King of Comedy as Masha, the stalker who kidnaps Jerry Lewis. She appeared on The David Letterman Show many times and posed for Playboy in 1992. In real life, Bernhard is openly bisexual and is in a longtime relationship with Sara Switzer. She sings too! Roseanne airs Tuesdays at 8pm on ABC, right before The Middle.
