Not Everybody Loves Debra Barone
***UPDATE: comments have been closed on this post due to too many
Is it unreasonable for a real person to have a problem with a fictional television character? I don’t think so when the character in question is Debra Barone, aka Patricia Heaton, of Everybody Loves Raymond fame. Sure, she can be cute and perky sometimes, but more often than not every time I catch a rerun of the show I want to yell, “You’re an ungrateful bitch!” at the TV screen.
You see, as someone who’s female and single I’m here to tell you (and Mrs. Barone) that Raymond Barone is a catch--relatively speaking. Don’t get me wrong; Raymond is definitely a doofus at times and a mama’s boy, but compared to what’s out there in singleton? At least Raymond can talk to people, has a good job, is a good dad to those three annoying kids, helps out with housework (sometimes) and is funny and kind. And he’s cute. And how does Debra reward him for fulfilling his husbandly duties? By consistently bitching and whining and withholding sex from him. The keys to any successful marriage!
Sexy time is always a failure for these two. Despite having homely twin boys and an obnoxious daughter, these two are rarely dancing in the sheets. It’s not like Ray never tried to be romantic. He once purchased a massager meant to help relax Debra. Instead it got in her hair. Little Miss Prissy had a hissy fit and said it killed her mood. Tsk. Imagine that! The rare time that they had sex three times in one week (a record, as Raymond told his friends and brother) it turns out it was only because Debra was getting inspired by her hunky aerobics instructor (Raymond’s freestyle moves during the routine remains one of my funniest moments in my personal television watching history.)
Of course, it cannot be easy living next door to Raymond’s parents, Frank and Marie Barone, but isn’t that what locks and house alarms are for? Who leaves their doors unlocked? Just turn off all of the lights and pretend that nobody is home! Or, how about actually cleaning that disaster zone that masquerades as your residence for once and for all and banishing all of the kids’ toys into storage boxes upstairs? How about actually leaning how to cook so that your husband doesn’t gag at every dinnertime? Both of which would at least help her be better friends with Marie. Besides, Debra should thank her lucky stars that the Barones are nothing like Robert's wife Amy's family--now that is a trainwreck!
Maybe Debra's problem is that she's been stuck in that messy house with the kids for too long. She actually tried going back to work once--it was a fail. Get this: she actually got a job at an advertising agency! Faster then you can say, “would somebody please get Peggy Olson in here” her boss showed her the door. She had come up with a remarkable pizza campaign that featured a cartoon character called “Professor Pete Za.” At Sterling Cooper, she wouldn't have lasted 45 minutes. Then, when Raymond actually went to the agency and lobbied with the owner to give Debra another chance, she actually got really pissed. Go figure--there’s just no pleasing the woman.
She better watch herself, because it's rough out there for middle aged single moms looking for romance. Her forays into flirting at the local supermarket didn't exactly work out: male shoppers ignored her and the produce man nearly had her tossed from the store for stalking.
She better watch herself, because it's rough out there for middle aged single moms looking for romance. Her forays into flirting at the local supermarket didn't exactly work out: male shoppers ignored her and the produce man nearly had her tossed from the store for stalking.
Maybe Ray and Debra are no longer together in the year 2010. I’m willing to bet that if they were still coming into our homes each week, they’d be divorced by now. The kids would be in college by now, and Raymond probably would have taken up with a younger, tall blonde, someone who bears a striking resemblance to me. Sorry, Debra.
Heehee....too funny! I totally agree...she was like a screaming banshee!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen her in real life? She's got the same bitch attitude! That act is hardly an act at all!
ReplyDelete@greg - I don't think I've ever seen an interview with her, but somehow hearing about her attitude doesn't surprise.
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh out loud. I haven't seen too much of Everybody Loves Raymond, but I am a big fan of Ray Ramano's standup. He's hilarious. And I agree, he's cute!
ReplyDeleteMy friend was eating at the same place he was at once and when he was finished, he left behind a $50 tip. My friend thought that was pretty cool, and I do too!
@Amanda - awww, he sounds like a nice guy in real life.
ReplyDeleteWell... I wasn't gonna be the first to say this, so thank you Pam!! I always appreciate my bride more after watching Debra. LOL!
ReplyDeleteBTW: I LIVE to hear Frank and Marie go at each other when I watch that show!
Amen, Sister!!!
ReplyDeleteI always thought she was mean to Raymond. She seemed so high-strung! She yelled a lot; complained all over the place; and never seemed happy.
ReplyDelete@Darrin - I love Frank and Marie, too!
ReplyDelete@Luis - yep, exactly! She is mean and unhappy!
Ugh! I can't stand Debra. She's such a whiny b*tch!!! She's like a mosquito hovering near your ear that wouldn't go away!
ReplyDeleteI have been watching this show for years, and I agree that she is a total bitch. I am not denying that sometimes Ray is a Stooge, and she sometimes has her points, and that Marie is an overbearing In-law... but still Be grateful your husband makes a living that affords you to be able to stay home, and raise your kids. A lot of two parent homes wish that one parent could be home, but can't afford it. Debra seems like an ungrateful bitch. Ray makes a point one time that he needs sleep because otherwise he won't be anygood at work. But before he can say work, she says, And what do I do? True she has to be on top of her game raising kids, but if they are in school or napping, you can too. If you have a crappy day you won't get fired, lady. Your husband could. If I were Ray I wouldhave kicked that bitch to the curb years ago. And KEPT the kids.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Debra is the poster child for what the media considers an "ideal, strong" woman. She is a nightmare. And she is so offended that no one likes her cooking, but does she do a thing to fix it?
ReplyDeleteYes, Ray is a momma's boy, but he works for the family he loves and he should remind her of that. And she needs to stop withholding sex! That's not right.
She is so disagreeable but you can tell that the show is trying really hard to make Ray look like the bad guy, and it's failing
I must be the only person in the world who loved Debra. She was hilarious and a fave of mine :) She reminded me of my own mother, having to deal with us 3 kids all day, then my dad (as the 4th child) when he came home from work.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe anyone would admire Debra Romano as a wife. She degrades her husband at every opportunity and has been embarrassed to be his wife in many episodes. She makes fun of him, she refuses intimacy, she doesn't allow him to have hobbies or socialize with friends. If a woman wants a better husband, she should first be a better wife.
ReplyDeleteAre you insane?! Debra Barone is an intelligent, vivacious and beautiful woman trapped in a marriage with a lying, lazy, man-child ( and ugly to boot) who can not get off his mother's tit. Every time I watch the show, I scream at the TV, "Leave him, Debra! Take the kids, escape that drooling, idiot husband and those soul sucking in-laws and get yourself a real man!"
ReplyDeleteI agree. Many times when watching the reruns, she gets so bitchy, that I can't watch anymore and switch the channel. Annoying.
ReplyDeleteI cannot STAND that psycho bitch!
ReplyDeleteHow funny I found blog this because I was watching a rerun & thinking those 2 would never have lasted so I googled "debra would have left ray" - he's such a crap husband!!! I'm definately on team Deb!! She's great, she shouldve married Robert! She and ray were so unsuited
ReplyDeleteHa! Loved this post Pam. I'm with you on this one. Couldn't stand Debra, so much so I stopped watching the show because of her. Patricia Heaton is not a likable person in real life either. Thanks for sharing this link with me. A treat to read. :)
ReplyDeleteDeb is hot! What guy wouldn't love to spend week-end on a tropical island with her? Only someone dead from the waist down is my guess.
ReplyDeleteDebra is mostly to blame for her bitchfests, but Ray-as the man- shouldn't have tried so hard to please her. Do everything a woman says and her libido will say, "Why the fuck am I hanging around? You have everything. See ya!" And she becomes drier than desert sand.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the moments he starts to stand up for himself, Debra flipped on the cunt switch. She didn't really want a husband, she wanted him to be a woman. A woman will never ever ever ever ever respect a man who does everything she asks him to do.
I can speak here as someone who has walked in Debra's shoes...My husband is very much like Ray (except he loves my cooking) I am really shocked at how many people don't like Debra. Is it surprising that those who don't like Debra haven't walked in her shoes? It's really annoying to hear opinions of just what people see or hear on the outside. Believe me, If Ray helped out more, was more considerate of his wife, and most importantly.... stood up for her against his mother, you'd see a different Debra - in between the sheets, too. But then that would be a different show.......
ReplyDeleteI totally understand her character. .Try living with him for years and then see how you'd react before you criticize! Go Deb!
she is one hell of a actress
ReplyDeleteshe is hot and cute too i love her
To the last "Anonymous" poster, I would say if she's that unhappy, she should just leave. This seems like a rotten, depressing marriage and they should find more compatible people. (Plus then, Debra won't have to deal with Ray's mother).
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, Jill was mad at Tim on "Home Improvement" a lot too, yet I never found her bitchy. Perhaps because Tim was so much more boisterous and his screw-ups were so much bigger.
I found this link Googling, "is Debra barone base on a real person?". I had no idea so many people agreed with me. that lady was a. DISASTER! I wanted to strangle her. BIOTCH!
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ReplyDeleteAmanda, lighten up. Also, try typing on a keyboard next time and not a mobile device -- I'm sick of people writing at 3rd grade level these days.
ReplyDeleteI think the negativity is Patricia Heaton's actual real-life mental problems which have been public for years.
ReplyDeleteBut while Raymond is the typical "stupid TV dad," I don't think I've seen a bigger TV-mom bee-otch; even Roseanne was no match for John Goodman's impeccable charm, and she never got the best of him.
Meanwhile Debra deserved everything Marie gave her.
I think the negativity is Patricia Heaton's actual real-life mental problems which have been public for years.
ReplyDeleteBut while Raymond is the typical "stupid TV dad," I don't think I've seen a bigger TV-mom bee-otch; even Roseanne was no match for John Goodman's impeccable charm, and she never got the best of him.
Meanwhile Debra deserved everything Marie gave her.
Amanda, I pity ANY man dumb and unlucky enough to spend time with you, let alone MARRY you.
ReplyDeletePatricia Heaton is NOT just acting, she's got serious anger-management problems in real life, and no normal person in her position would act that way just because she's got annoying in-laws.
If you don't want sex, DON'T GET MARRIED! You're the sort for whom wedding-cake causes you to lose all sexual interest and gain 50 lbs.-- it's called FRAUD IN THE INDUCEMENT, and it's illegal in every other contract besides marriage.
And Debra's male fitness instructor was NOT a "double-standard," if Ray suddenly wanted sex after he interviewed a swimsuit-model then the message would be about how he was "using" her.
And worst of all-- she kicks him out of the BATHROOM? How the HECK can that make ANY sense? He's supposed to bathe in the kitchen?
W. T. F!!!!????
If Ray had a clue he would have left her LONG ago.
And Raymond is NOT stupid: as he tells one of the twins, "I'm not stupid, I just act that way to fool your mother."
IOW he had to put on an ACT so that she'd leave him alone!
Amanda if you like her, you must BE like her-- and again I say a prayer for ANY man unlucky enough to fall into your web, black widow spider!
So glad I stumbled across this, it's so true. If I were unlucky enough to have married someone like her, Id be heading for divorce court lickety split. Yes Ray has his faults, and yes the parents are a major pain, but she is downright abusive. Physically, mentally and emotionally abusive. Not to mention controlling and vindictive. No one deserves to be treated like that. Then there are the times she's wrong and still makes it Rays fault.
ReplyDeleteI realize she's a fictional character but unlike the rest of the family who despite their flaws have redeeming qualities she has none.
Amanda, You Twit-
ReplyDeleteYou admonish the writer for tearing apart a fictional character, then write a paragraph defending the same fictional character.
I'm sure this is just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to the plethora of double standards I am sure is your life.
Your poor, poor husband.
I was so surprised and pleased to see so many agree with me, nothing at all likeable about Debra Barone. Everyone else on the show has some very funny and cute ways about them whereas Debra gives me a knot in my stomach everytime she is on. Abusive, angry. Why doesn't she leave and why doesn't Ray act like a man and stick up for himself.
ReplyDeleteShe is such a Wendy winer. She is so annoying. The episode where she insists Ray work at home then tries to get him to help her around the house, season 2, ANNOYING and not fun she is. I wouldn't want to come home too.
ReplyDeleteI've caught a few episodes of the show, and find the whole family unlikeable. First, if that was my mother, I'd tell her to shut the hell the up, and if she didn't I'd kick her out of my house. The father would just be banned from the home. As for Debra, if ever a TV wife deserved an ass kicking, it's her. Also, if I was married to a lady like that, I'd wear my wedding ring on the wrong finger to let everyone know I married the wrong woman.
ReplyDeleteThis argument is ludicrous. When I was a kid I thought they were your regular, happy couple. Now that I'm older and watching reruns, it pains me to see how much of a lousy husband Ray is. Sure, he's a momma's boy, which is forgivable, but his utter and complete selfishness just astonishes me. He takes pains to avoid spending time with his family and acts like taking care of the kids is torture. He does very little to help around the house and does a crappy job of standing up for his wife. The only time he's ever nice to her is when he wants something or has done something wrong! While I do agree that it's unfair to withhold sex on Debra's part, I can also understand why she might; the poor woman probably feels like he's her fourth child rather than her life partner! Ray is a funny character and I like him, but he shouldn't have gotten married. He's still a bachelor at heart.
ReplyDeleteLol. I have reached this by googling "I can't stand Debra Barone".
ReplyDeleteI've read the article and all the comments and I must say that I'm glad most of the people not liking a Debra-like typology are women. There's still hope for you.
As for the Debra-lovers, if you're a man, I pitty you, if you're a woman, you're never gonna be happy no matter how your man is. You are just born to bitch. Happy for you there are a lot of mama's boys out there willing to take your abuse. So in the end, to each their own.
And for the ones ridiculing the author of the article for bashing at a fictional character, guess what, it may be fictional in that show, but you can find Debra-like characters a lot in real life. Hell, they are right amongst the commenters. Lol.
LOL...thanks for your comments, Dan and loved your last point! I will say just this one thing in defense of Debra...I saw the episode where Ray was pretending to be sick (until they learned he really did have strep throat) so that his mother would pamper him and arrrgh...I think Debra should have taken the basketball his brother and friends brought into the bedroom and aimed it right at his head! He was especially annoying in that one. But most of the time, Debra comes across as just so petty, ridiculous, and ungrateful.
ReplyDeleteI have to go with the majority here. Debra Barone is a bitch from hell! Ungrateful, loud- mouthed and an abusive bully. I see no redeeming qualities in this character whatsoever. I recall watching her during an interview awhile back as she bragged about withholding sex from her real-life spouse. It appeared to me that Patricia Heaton is not playing a character but that she is playing herself, a narcissistic bitch who enjoys verbally castrating men. As for character Ray, he became less lovable in my eyes on each episode as he cowered at the feet of bride. As a woman and as a human being I detest acts of violence of any kind, however I would be less than truthful if I didn't admit that I have on occasion fantasized about Raymond sending her to the moon, Honeymooner's style.
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