Roseanne Barr's reign of terror: TV writer claims actress 'degraded' staff on hit show by making them wear numbered shirts so she could 'fire them without learning names' - and says she underwent 'electric shock therapy' to treat mental health issues

A TV writer who worked on Roseanne Barr's show in the '90s has claimed that the comedian would make staffers wear numbered shirts so that she could fire them without having to learn their names - and alleged that she underwent 'shock therapy' for mental health issues in 1993.

Stan Zimmerman - who has helped to pen episodes for a slew of TV hits, including The Golden Girls, Gilmore Girls, and Roseanne - recently opened up about what it was like to work alongside Roseanne, 71, in his new book The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore.

According to the acclaimed screenwriter, the actress earned a fierce reputation for axing so many people from her eponymous sitcom.

Stan claimed that Roseanne, along with her costar and then-husband, Tom Arnold, once had T-shirts with different numerals made and required everyone on set to wear them.

A writer who worked on Roseanne Barr's show has claimed that the comedian would make staffers wear numbered shirts so she could fire them without having to learn their names

 Stan Zimmerman - who helped pen episodes for Roseanne - recently opened up about what it was like to work alongside Roseanne, 71, in his new book The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore

According to the acclaimed screenwriter, the actress earned a fierce reputation for axing so many people from the show. She's seen in the show in 1992

Stan claimed that Roseanne and her costar and then-husband, Tom Arnold (seen in 1992), once had T-shirts with different numerals made a nd required everyone on set to wear them

That way, he wrote, they could dismiss people without even using their names; instead, he said they'd tell people to leave using the number on their shirts.

'The series was known for its high turnover rate,' he wrote. 

'Early on, we heard from writers who had lasted on the show how to survive Roseanne's firings.

'They advised us to find the tallest person on set and stand behind them. If Roseanne couldn't see the whites of your eyes, she couldn't fire you.

'The first day of rehearsal, Roseanne and Tom, with a gleam in their eyes, told all of the writers to stand in line.

'They had made T-shirts for us. Numbered T-shirts. Since my birthday is October 13, I counted and stood in line to get number 13. 

'As we were waiting, the mood of the staff turned. Word trickled out why they had numbered the shirts so that Tom and Roseanne wouldn't have to learn our names and could just point and say, "Number 13, you're fired."'

He said Tom and Roseanne 'thought it was hysterical,' and while it 'didn't really sink in at the time,' he called their behavior extremely 'degrading.' 

But Stan admitted that he still had the shirt to this day, jokingly adding, 'I cherish it.'

That way, they could dismiss people without even using their names; instead, he said they'd tell people to leave using the number on their shirts. Roseanne is seen (far right) on the show

He said Tom and Roseanne (seen in 2018) 'thought it was hysterical,' and while it 'didn't really sink in at the time,' he called their behavior extremely 'degrading'

While discussing his time on the show, he also claimed that actress Laurie Metcalf refused to speak to the writers on set because she was so 'afraid of losing her job.'

'The actors rarely talked to the writers when we came down to the stage to watch the afternoon run-throughs,' he continued. 

'I didn't know that in the beginning. So I marched right over to Laurie Metcalf to tell her I was a huge fan.

'She just grinned back at me and didn't engage in any dialogue. I later learned that she was afraid of losing her job if she was seen talking with a writer.'

The writer also alleged that Roseanne was once absent from filming for two weeks because she had to undergo 'electric shock treatments.' 

'Up until [then], I didn't know they still did that. I thought it was something done to old Hollywood movie stars, like Frances Farmer,' admitted Stan. 

DailyMail.com has contacted Roseanne's spokesperson for comment.  

Roseanne has previously revealed that she suffers from dissociative identity disorder, which she theorized stemmed from abuse she endured as a child from a German neighbor, who was hired by her mother. 

'He used to torture me every day. I'd come home and tell my mother, "He's hitting me." Then he'd locked me in his garage and called me a Jew b***h and said Hitler was right,' she told Esquire in 2001.

'And my mother would go, "You're making this up!" And to show me I was wrong, she hired the guy to work at our house.

'She hired this Nazi just to prove me wrong. That's how you get multiple-personality disorder.'

Stan also claimed that actress Laurie Metcalf (seen in the show with Roseanne) refused to speak to the writers on set because she was so 'afraid of losing her job'

The writer also alleged that Roseanne (seen in 2006) was once absent from filming for two weeks in 1993 because she had to undergo 'electric shock treatments'

She added, 'It comes out of being a kid. It's a kid's invention, when you're at that emotional-development level where you really can't tell the difference between what's in your head and what's outside your head, people-wise.'

Roseanne started her career off as a stand-up comedian but was shot to fame after she landed the lead role in Roseanne.

The show, loosely based off her her life, premiered in 1988 and was a massive success.

It went on for nine seasons - during which, she won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her starring role - before it came to an end in 1997. 

Afterwards, Roseanne went on launch her own talk show, called The Roseanne Show, from 1998-2000.

She has also acted in a few more TV shows and movies, embarked on numerous comedy tours, created her own reality show, released multiple autobiographies, and landed a slew of hosting gigs over the years.

In addition, she reprised her role in Roseanne when the show returned in 2018 for one season.

In recent years, Roseanne - who is a very public supporter of former President Donald Trump - has become very outspoken about political issues, and has found herself in hot water over controversial comments she's made on numerous occasions.

In his tome, Stan also lifted a lid on what it was like to work on the iconic TV show Golden Girls. 

In his tome, Stan also lifted a lid on what it was like to work on the iconic TV show Golden Girls 

He recalled how Estelle Getty  had trouble remembering her lines when the show first began, and explained how co-star Betty White tried to distract the audience from her problems

He recalled how Estelle Getty - who played Sophia Petrillo on the popular series - had trouble remembering her lines when the show first began.

At the time, he said people on set assumed that Estelle had been going out 'to Hollywood parties' and that she 'wasn't studying hard enough.'

However he now believed the actress was dealing with the early stages of dementia.

She was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia many years later and passed away from the illness just three days before her 85th birthday in 2008.

Stan also remembered being upset at seeing her costar Betty White seemingly make fun of her on-set to the audience.

He said that whenever Estelle made a mistake and they'd have to break, Betty would walk over the bleachers where the live audience sat and start making jokes. 

'At the time, because I was close with Estelle, I felt, "Why is she making fun of Estelle?" I was very protective,' he reflected. 

However, upon reflection, he realized Betty - who played Rose Nylund for seven seasons - was probably trying to distract the audience so they wouldn't notice the trouble that Estelle was having. 

'I think Betty was steering the attention away from Estelle, going up to the audience so that people would be looking at her over there and let Estelle have the moment to collect herself, look at the script,' he added.