Sheryl met her first husband, Jim Leach, when she was working as a writer at DLM Inc., according to the Barney Fandom Wiki. The couple dated and got married within the same year. Their son Patrick was born in 1987.

Barney's fame grew exponentially from the moment Sheryl created the iconic purple dinosaur in 1988. According to Newsweek, Jim initially agreed to be a stay-at-home dad to take care of Patrick while Sheryl worked on the Barney franchise. However, eventually the character's success spelled the end of their marriage. Sheryl and Jim divorced in 2001.

Sadly, Jim died by suicide three years later.

Sheryl declined to participate in I Love You, You Hate Me. She's spent many of her years, post-Barney fame (and backlash), dedicated to philanthropy.

It's not known exactly when, but Sheryl eventually met her now life partner, Howard Rosenfeld.