Patricia Heaton Was Involved In Numerous Controversies After Becoming Famous On Everybody Loves Raymond

Highlights

• Patricia Heaton faced controversy in 2012 when she sided with Rush Limbaugh’s derogatory remarks about Sandra Fluke and her stance on birth control.
• Heaton expressed disappointment in the casting of Chris Evans over Tim Allen in the role of Buzz Lightyear.
• Heaton’s husband, David Hunt, was accused of inappropriate behavior.

Patricia Heaton had her pick of roles after starring in Everybody Loves Raymond as Ray’s wife Debra Barone. Most of the time, Debra is frustrated with her husband and her in-laws, which leads to some hilarious scenes. Fans got to see two beloved sitcom actors together once again when Ray Romano guest starred in The Middle. Thanks to her talent for portraying comedic characters like Debra and The Middle’s Frankie Heck, Heaton has a high net worth.

In the years since she played her famous Everybody Loves Raymond character, Patricia Heaton has gotten a lot of attention for the things that she has said. Someone close to her was also involved in a controversy.

Everybody Loves Raymond Star Patricia Heaton Tweeted Some Controversial Opinions

In 2012, Patricia Heaton tweeted about Sandra Fluke, a student at Georgetown University. According to Us Weekly, Fluke testified in Congress about women’s reproductive rights and birth control. Rush Limbaugh called Fluke several derogatory names and Heaton took his side. As E! News reported, Fluke said that birth control should be covered by insurance.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a little while later, Heaton said that she was sorry for what she said.

Heaton tweeted:

“Just caught up on all the debater re Ms. Fluke’s testimony. Mea culpa! We have diff opinions but I was too flippant in my attempt at humor… Tweatons: Finally heard all the commentary. I crossed the line w/@SandraFluke. Don’t agree w/her views, but I was not showing Christ’s love.”

Heaton also tweeted a message for Fluke and said, “I am not backing down on my position: but there is a better way to fight the fight.”

Patricia Heaton’s TV Career:

• Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond (1996-2005)
• Dr. Silverman on thirtysomething (1989-1991)
• Carol Kenny on Carol’s Second Act (2019-2020)
• Frankie Heck on The Middle (2009-2018)
• Kelly Carr on Back To You (2007-2008)

Several years later, in June 2022, Patricia Heaton tweeted about Buzz Lightyear as she wasn’t happy that Tim Allen wasn’t playing the famous character in the movie Lightyear. She thought that he should have been hired again instead of Chris Evans. According to E! News, she tweeted, “Saw the trailer for Buzz Lightyear and all I can say is Disney/Pixar made a HUGE mistake in not casting my pal @ofctimallen Tim Allen in the role that he originated, the role that he owns. Tim IS Buzz! Why would they completely castrate this iconic, beloved character?”

E! News reported that Evans said he wanted to “pay homage” because he respects what Tim Allen created.

Heaton added: “Ok so the current Buzz Lightyear movie is an origin story – but the reason the character became so beloved is because of what @ofctimallen created. Why remove the one element that makes us want to see it?#stupidHollywooddecisions.”

The Toy Story Franchise:

• Toy Story (1995)
• Toy Story 2 (1999)
• Toy Story 3 (2010)
• Toy Story 4 (2019)
• Lightyear (2022)

While of course everyone is entitled to think about who should be cast in a movie, some actors might not want to tweet about that. They might worry about hurting someone’s feelings.

However, the actress is known for being someone who speaks her mind, and she has continued that for several decades. In 2022, Patricia Heaton talked about religion in an interview with Movieguide.com and explained that she has been able to say what she feels throughout her career. She said:

“I’ve always felt that I’ve been able to be open about who I am and what I believe.”

Heaton also said, “I have found that going into work, we’re all there to do a job. We’re all there to be professional, we all respect each other. We share opinions, different opinions, and because we love each other, and we have a common goal of creating something wonderful for people to enjoy, the differences in our religion, or politics or whatever, in my experience on a set have not been a problem.”

Everybody Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton’s Husband Was Involved In A Scandal

One of Patricia Heaton’s most recent projects was the sitcom Carol’s Second Act which aired for one season in 2019. Her 50-year-old character Carol Kenney follows her heart and gets an internship at a hospital. Heaton worked on the TV series along with her husband David Hunt, who was an executive producer.

In November 2019, People reported that David Hunt was accused of alleged “inappropriate behavior on set.”

As People reported, Bryan Freedman, who was the lawyer representing both Heaton and Hunt, said that Heaton’s husband “remembers looking for a script but does not remember the detail of touching anyone’s shoulders, and if he did that, it was not intended to be offensive.”

Margee Magee, a co-executive producer on Carol’s Second Act, and Broti Gupta, a writer, talked to someone who worked in HR about what allegedly happened.

Later in November 2019, Deadline reported that David Hunt went through training focused on “sensitivity” and harassment. According to Deadline, two women who were writers on Carol’s Second Act departed the sitcom as a result of the situation. The publication also reported that after Hunt hugged a writer after a dinner involving the cast and crew of the TV series, the writer said that they were “uncomfortable.” While Hunt continued to work on the sitcom, Carol’s Second Act was only on the air for one season.

Source: NewsFinale