Lesser-Known Facts About Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert's television career has been as eclectic as it's been lengthy, spanning from the 1980s until the present — and it's all the more impressive when considering that she only celebrated her 49th birthday in early 2024. In fact, Gilbert began her acting career when she was just a kid, landing her first role in a 1982 Disney TV movie when she was just seven years old.
That was the first of numerous roles in film and television, though one of those characters does tend to stand out from the pack: Darlene Conner, the acerbic, wisecracking daughter of Dan and Roseanne Conner (played by John Goodman and Roseanne Barr) in ABC's hit sitcom "Roseanne." Not only did Gilbert portray Darlene throughout all nine seasons of the original series, but she also reprised the role in the hit 2018 revival, which evolved into the sort-of spinoff "The Conners." In between the original "Roseanne" and the revival, she pursued a successful acting career and became a fixture on daytime television with "The Talk," the CBS talk show of which she was both star and creator.
Gilbert has been part of the TV landscape for so long that viewers probably feel they know everything there is to know about her. To learn even more about this fascinating actor and media personality, keep reading for a deep dive into some lesser-known facts about Sara Gilbert.
Her grandfather created a legendary TV sitcom
It's not surprising that Sara Gilbert made her mark in a television situation comedy when delving into her family history. As it turns out, her grandfather Harry Crane was responsible for creating one of the most classic sitcoms in television history, "The Honeymooners."
During a 2020 appearance on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, Gilbert revealed that she'd grown up knowing about her grandfather's achievement but didn't realize quite how important it was in the annals of pop culture. "It's the kind of thing when you're a kid and you hear it, you're like, 'Yeah, yeah, that's cool, whatever.' And then as you get older, you really grow to appreciate how significant it is," she explained.
Gilbert also came to feel a special connection to her grandfather's vision for the show — which, like "Roseanne," focused on blue-collar people. She recalled hearing a story about how her grandfather convinced skeptical star Jackie Gleason to expand "The Honeymooners" from an occasional sketch on his variety show to a standalone series. "Jackie was like, you know, no one will care about this. These are just the people from our neighborhood, you know? And he was like, no, that's why people will care about it," Gilbert recalled.
Her older sister was a TV star before she was
Before Sara Gilbert entered showbiz, her older sister Melissa Gilbert was already a successful child actor. Before Sara was born, her sister (technically half-sister) was already a seasoned actor and television star, portraying Laura Ingalls on the hit series "Little House on the Prairie." Her other half-sibling, Jonathan Gilbert, also appeared on the show.
Her sister's success gave Gilbert the inclination that acting was something she wanted to attempt. "I was dying to do it. My sister and brother were both in entertainment and I was so determined to do the same thing," she told Entertainment Weekly. "They would get gifts from working on sets, especially at Christmas. I wanted in on those presents." Sara also felt that acting was her destiny. "I also just had this overwhelming sense that I was supposed to be an actor; like, I just knew it," she recalled in an interview with Deadline.
She was nearly in a spinoff of The Facts of Life
Sara Gilbert's fledgling career as a child actor received a big boost when she was cast in the 1984 TV movie "Calamity Jane." That led to a role in an ABC weekend special, in which she was cast opposite another future star, Fred Savage, who would go on to fame with "The Wonder Years." "I remember playing his friend ... It was so long ago, before 'The Wonder Years.' None of us really had any credits," she told Entertainment Weekly.
Her big break could have arrived when she auditioned for a spinoff of the hit sitcom "The Facts of Life." As MeTV pointed out, that particular spinoff was one of six that had been floated and actually saw the light of day as a "backdoor pilot" in what ended up being the "Facts of Life" series finale.
Gilbert didn't get the part — although, interestingly, future stars Juliette Lewis, Seth Green, and Mayim Bialik were all cast. It all worked out for the best when NBC passed on the spinoff, which left Gilbert unencumbered by contractual obligations when her actual big break, "Roseanne," arrived shortly afterward.
Her Roseanne boyfriend helped her realize she was gay
During the nine seasons of the original run of "Roseanne," viewers watched Sara Gilbert grow up in front of their eyes. When she became a teenager, Darlene Conner began dating David Healey, played by actor Johnny Galecki. As it happened, life imitated art when the two teenage actors began dating for real.
While appearing on "The Talk," Gilbert recalled that she'd been crushing on Galecki while they worked together, but noticed something strange in their relationship: whenever they made out, she found herself feeling depressed. That, she explained, was how she came to the realization that she was gay. "I eventually told him I thought it was about my sexuality, and he was super sweet about it," Gilbert recalled, as reported by "Today."
After that, Gilbert kept her sexuality a closely guarded secret, fearing that being an out lesbian could impact her acting career. Galecki, one of the few people who knew, never told a soul. "No one knew at the show, and Johnny held the secret the whole time," she said (via USA Today). "I was always so scared if it came out."
Her success drove a wedge into her relationship with her father
Becoming part of one of television's hottest TV shows made young Sara Gilbert a very wealthy kid. "I was 18 or 19 and making more money than any teenager should be making at the time," she said in an interview with CBS News, as reported by AmoMama. This led to an awkward situation when her father — an entertainment attorney — experienced some financial hardship after divorcing her mom, and turned to his daughter for help.
She agreed to extend him a loan, but eventually came to feel that the money had changed their father-daughter dynamic. "I just wanted him to be my dad," she said, explaining that she eventually decided to stop the flow of cash to him in the hopes that their relationship would return to the way it was.
She later came to regret that strategy. Once she became an adult herself, she realized how desperate her father had been, and how difficult it must have been for him to humble himself enough to ask his teenage daughter for money. "When it comes to your family," she added, "it's better to give."
Sara Gilbert is a brainiac who graduated from Yale
Sara Gilbert was still starring on "Roseanne" when, shortly before production began on the seventh season, she announced she'd be attending Yale in the fall. Typically, producers would respond to such a circumstance by writing the character out of the show, or — as was the case with her "Roseanne" sister Lecy Goranson — recast another actor in the role (Sarah Chalke took over as Becky Conner in the series' fifth season when Goranson went to college).
"Roseanne" producers, however, went with a completely different strategy; instead, they hatched a plan that would keep Darlene in the Conner household while Gilbert attended college on the other side of the continent. As the Los Angeles Times reported, that plan required some serious juggling, with Gilbert's scenes shot in a soundstage in New York (during what little free time she had) and edited into the footage filmed on the show's actual set in Los Angeles. In addition, Gilbert committed to return to L.A. to shoot episodes during her school breaks. "Just from a logistic standpoint, I was surprised," Gilbert told the Times. "I'm really flattered, and sort of relieved that I'll have the opportunity to do both things."
Gilbert graduated in 1997, and the completion of her studies coincided with the end of "Roseanne." "For the last year, I've been thinking, 'Wow, I'm going to finish the show and a month later graduate from college,'" she told Entertainment Weekly.
How a joke spurred her to create a successful daytime talk show
Sara Gilbert's career took an unexpected twist in 2010 when she sold CBS on a daytime talk show she'd created, fittingly titled "The Talk." Gilbert was not just the series' creator — she was also one of the show's panelists, which initially included the likes of Julie Chen-Moonves and the always-outrageous Sharon Osbourne.
In an interview with UPI, Gilbert revealed that the show originated from an inside joke between her and a friend, about what a terrible talk show host she'd make, given that she's quite shy and doesn't actually enjoy talking. "So we kind of acted out a whole spoof where I would sit basically in a dark basement with guests and not say much and it would just be really awkward," she recalled. "We never ended up making it, but then for some reason, I decided to make a talk show."
The idea, she explained during her "Armchair Expert" appearance, came to her one day while she was taking a bath. "I was like, why isn't there a talk show for women that are like moms or girlfriends or just talking to each other about normal, everyday stuff that I talk to my friends about?" she explained.
She came out while promoting The Talk
Ahead of the first season of "The Talk," Sara Gilbert and her co-hosts appeared at the 2010 edition of the Television Critics Association press tour to promote the show. During the press conference, Gilbert officially came out as a lesbian. The reason, she explained, was because her new role as talk show host meant she'd be sharing details of her life, something she didn't feel she could authentically do without being open about the fact that she was in a relationship with a woman — which hadn't been an issue until then. "I've been acting my whole life, and I've never really discussed my personal life," she explained, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. "This is a talk show. So obviously, I'm going to be discussing my life more."
Gilbert felt that appearing before a group of journalists at the press tour was the ideal opportunity to come out in a far more intimate way than would be accomplished by a press release issued by the network. "It just seemed impersonal," she said, "and I felt like I'd rather come in person and talk to you about all that stuff here."
Looking back, nobody was more surprised by the openness she'd embraced than Gilbert herself. "I was such a private person before I started 'The Talk,'" she told TV Guide with a laugh. "I don't know what happened!"
Sara Gilbert was sued for allegedly ripping of the idea for The Talk
"The Talk" proved to be an instant hit, with the perspective that Sara Gilbert brought to the daytime talk genre filling the programming void that she'd identified when she first conceived the idea in her tub. As she explained during that TV Critics Association press release, "The Talk" differentiated itself from other talk shows by focusing on motherhood and parenting.
It was precisely because of that focus that Gilbert was slammed with a lawsuit by author Angela Wilder, wife of Los Angeles Lakers star James Worthy. According to Wilder's 2012 suit, she claimed to have created a talk show treatment in 2006 she called "The Mother Hood," meant to address the day-to-day issues experienced by moms. She pitched the project to Sony but was rejected. In her suit, she contended that "The Talk" was essentially a rehashed version of her original concept. CBS Studios (which produced "The Talk," and was a co-defendant) responded with vitriol. "It's one thing to get sued over a project that was pitched to us, but quite a stretch to be sued over a pitch that was made to somebody else," a network rep told Deadline.
Wilder's case ultimately went nowhere; when she saw the evidence that CBS presented, she decided to drop the lawsuit.
She considers herself an 'imperfect environmentalist'
In 2013, Sara Gilbert added "author" to her already impressive resume with the publication of her book "The Imperfect Environmentalist." As she told USA Today, the book's title describes her approach to ecological issues, which essentially promotes the idea of doing one's best. "Anyone can make small changes that make a big difference. It's not that big of a deal to switch to eco-friendly makeup or glass containers to store food," she explained.
Discussing her own journey, Gilbert recalled that she became a passionate environmentalist when she was 13, using her platform as a celebrity to draw attention to such issues as climate change and cruelty to animals. As she grew older and her responsibilities increased, however, she gradually lost touch with that side of herself. It wasn't until she had children that she came to again recognize the responsibility she had for future generations. "We have to leave the world a better place for them," she said.
The secret to her unique brand of imperfect environmentalism, she said in an interview with TV Guide, is for people to not be too hard on themselves. "So you purchased a product in the really bad kind of non-recyclable plastic today? Make up for it by buying the right kind of paint tomorrow," she explained.
She was married to a rock star
In 2011, Sara Gilbert split up with her longtime partner, TV producer Alison Adler. "I feel like I don't know if marriage is all it's cracked up to be," Gilbert told viewers of "The Talk" (via The Hollywood Reporter), referencing their 10-year relationship and the two young children they shared. Just a few months later, Gilbert confirmed reports that she was dating musician Linda Perry, frontwoman of the rock band 4 Non Blondes, whose success as a songwriter and producer included such hits as Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" and Pink's "Get The Party Started."
Gilbert and Perry wed in 2014. "It definitely feels different," Gilbert told the wedding attendees, reported People. "You feel like you're part of this institution and it's official, and, oh, I better not mess this up."
Less than six years later, it was over, with Gilbert filing to legally separate from Perry in 2019. Their separation was finalized in 2021, with the two sharing custody of their son, Rhodes. Speaking with Us Weekly, Perry shared her view of the end of their marriage. "I mean, it's life, man," she said. "That doesn't mean ... things that end doesn't mean they're over or they're bad. It's just you're evolving into a different place and that's kind of how I'm looking at it."
Roseanne Barr blamed Sara Gilbert for her notorious firing
In 2018, Sara Gilbert reprised Darlene in a revival of "Roseanne." The reboot proved to be a massive hit, attracting an audience of 20 million to become the year's most-watched TV series. Suddenly, everything changed when the show's controversy-magnet star Roseanne Barr issued an ill-conceived tweet that was immediately deemed racist. ABC responded by canceling its new hit. "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values," said network president Channing Dungey in a statement, reported The New York Times. Gilbert was likewise quick to distance herself from her now-toxic TV mom. "Roseanne's recent comments about Valerie Jarrett, and so much more, are abhorrent and do not reflect the beliefs of our cast and crew or anyone associated with our show," she tweeted. "I am disappointed in her actions to say the least."
Ultimately, ABC decided to move forward with a new iteration of "Roseanne" — but without its titular matriarch. In the first episode of the new series, "The Conners," viewers learned that Roseanne Conner died of an opioid overdose.
Barr blamed Gilbert for her downfall. "She destroyed the show and my life with that tweet," Barr told The Washington Post in 2019. Barr's acrimony toward Gilbert had not diminished as time passed; during a 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "The Megyn Kelly Show," Barr accused Gilbert of stabbing her in the back. "She repeatedly twisted it," she said. "It was her tweet that canceled the show."
She quit The Talk in order to focus on The Conners
While co-hosting "The Talk," Sara Gilbert had always kept a toe dipped in the world of acting. In 2014, Gilbert added to her workload when she became a series regular on "Bad Teacher," a CBS sitcom that ran for just one season; she also guest-starred in such TV series as "Jane the Virgin" and "Supergirl," in addition to her recurring role in "The Big Bang Theory."
While she was able to juggle her acting work with her hosting and producing duties on "The Talk," that wasn't the case when "Roseanne" morphed into "The Conners." Because she was also serving as an executive producer on the series, she felt she'd be spreading herself too thin, and announced plans to exit "The Talk."
"Something had to give," she explained in a subsequent interview with Variety. "And I've been lucky enough to do the talk show for nine years. And so that felt like the right move is, 'Okay, I've done that. And I've fully explored it.' And now it's time to do other creative ventures."