Sheryl Leech Net Worth (Updated 2022)

Sheryl Leach is an American writer and television show creator best known for creating the popular children’s show Barney and Friends. Leach created Barney the Dinosaur in the mid-1980s. He made Barney to entertain his son Patrick, who was a preschooler at the time.

Leach was previously a school teacher in Dallas when he officially created Kid Friendly Dinosaurs in 1988. Barney is considered the most popular children’s television show and a top-selling children’s brand worldwide. Among other honors, Leach has been nominated for the 20th and 23rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

First half of life

Cheryl Laina Stamps Leach was born on December 31, 1952 in Athens, Texas. Leach graduated from Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He then went on to study at Texas A&M University, where he earned a master’s degree in bilingual education and later earned an honorary doctorate from Texas A&M University-Commerce.

working life

Leach began his career as a teacher in Texas. He then started working at a local family-run business, Developmental Learning Materials. However, he left the job after the birth of his son. After a while, she realized she needed something to distract her enthusiastic 2-year-old son, Patrick.

Leach eventually planned to create a creature that would entertain children. She chose dinosaurs since they were her son’s favorite prehistoric animals. The lich was eventually given a friendly, pear-shaped dinosaur with no sharp teeth, claws, spikes or talons, but with goofy, huge legs and a constant grin.

He and co-creators Dennis DeShazer and Kathy Parker developed and marketed Barney properties in more than 150 countries worldwide in the mid-1980s. Barney became one of the most popular children’s television shows and one of the best-selling children’s brands in the world.

After some time, Leach assembled a team and created a home video called Barney and the Backyard Gang. Home videos were later sold to the general public. Meanwhile, Connecticut Public Television employee Larry Rifkin rented a Barney video for his kid.

Larry liked the idea and met with Leach and the other co-creators to discuss bringing Barney to TV. Production on the new television show, Barney & Friends, began in October 1991. In April 1992, the TV show launched on PBS and Barney won several awards and honors.

personal life

Leach has been married twice. She met her first husband, James Edmond Leach, while working as a writer for DLM Inc. Within the same year, the pair began dating and married. They had one son together, Patrick. Jim initially agreed to be a stay-at-home dad so Leach could work on the Barney brand.

However, Barney’s success eventually led to the end of their marriage. In 2001, Leach and Jim divorced. Jim, sadly, committed suicide three years later. Eventually, Leach married her second husband, Howard Rosenfeld, with whom she founded a non-profit organization known as the She’rah Foundation.

Why was Leach’s son arrested?

Her son Patrick, on the other hand, had undergone multiple surgeries and was dealing with a benign brain tumor. Patrick developed a marijuana addiction and went to jail in 2013 after shooting his Malibu neighbor in the chest. Police arrested him with a loaded gun and bulletproof vest. Patrick was finally released after five years and is now a married man with two children.

Patrick, then 27, claimed that Eric Shanks was trespassing on his property when he fired the rifle. Authorities stopped him on the Pacific Coast Highway and a search revealed he was carrying a loaded handgun and a rifle.

Brenda Lee, a deputy district attorney with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, described Patrick as “confused and very badly injured” at the time of his arrest. In 2015, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading no contest to assault with a deadly weapon. His sentence was reduced from 15 to 5 years.

Humanity

Leach and Howard have been able to support other organizations, viz

• Connecticut Public Television
• Next entertainment
• Global White Lion Protection Trust
• Alliance for a New Humanity
• Foundations for Conscious Evolution and more.

Also collaborated with Howard Leach to establish a sustainable market smithy in New Preston, Connecticut. The Smithy sources and sells local artisan foods and crafts and supports local farmers and producers. Leach received the National Freedom Foundation Award for his efforts with the Shi’rah Foundation.

She is the first woman recipient of this award since Eleanor Roosevelt. Leach is active in various land conservation efforts in Warren, Connecticut. Leech has a farm in South Africa that contributes to the Global White Lion Protection Trust.

Recent Projects

On October 12, 2022, a new documentary titled “I Love You, You Hate Me” premiered on Peacock. The documentary revealed some shocking truths about Leach’s life, including a horrific divorce, suicide and the arrest of his son. She even preferred Barney to her own child, which also ruined her marriage.

Sheryl Leach Net Worth

As of 2022, Sheryl Leach’s net worth is $20 million. Most of his income came from working on Barney and The Backyard Show. Barney & Friends aired for 268 episodes between 1992 and 2010. The show inspired a line of books and toys that were wildly popular in the early to mid-1990s.

Leach has sponsored several projects through the Shi’rah Foundation, a philanthropic organization with her partner Howard Rosenfeld. In addition, Leach and Rosenfeld are interested in community development and land conservation projects, which contribute greatly to its wealth.