Sara Gilbert Was Never The Same After Roseanne

Sara Gilbert was a 13-year-old child actor when she was cast in the role that would change her life: Darlene Conner, middle child on the groundbreaking television sitcom "Roseanne." It's unlikely she knew at the time that she would be part of a TV phenomenon that revolutionized the medium, nor that she would be spending the next decade on the show — and forget about reviving the character a full three decades after she first portrayed her in 1988. 

Yet that's how it all played out, with a childhood acting role bringing her into the homes of millions of viewers for years. Looking back, it's clear that her decade on the show shaped her in numerous ways, and it's not an overstatement that her role on "Roseanne" left her life forever changed. The success she's experienced since then, however, has been hard-earned. "I think I've got a lot of tenacity," she once told Variety. "If people tell me I can't do something, I just keep trying for years. I don't think I'm naturally successful. I just don't give up and don't quit till something happens."

To those who've been following her extraordinary journey, it's beyond obvious just how much her experience on the hit sitcom has influenced everything that's come afterward. To find out more, read further, and it will be clear why Sara Gilbert was never the same after "Roseanne."

Growing up on camera while millions of people watch is a somewhat unique experience shared by few, although it's one that's common to Hollywood's child stars. For Sara Gilbert, however, her role on "Roseanne" and the long-running success of the show meant that she essentially went through puberty under the harsh glare of Hollywood soundstage lights. 

"I was a very young, very awkward person," Gilbert recalled on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" when presented with a photo of her younger self during the debut season of "Roseanne." "It's hard to have your teenage years in front of everybody."

Meanwhile, starring on one of TV's most popular shows made the teenage Gilbert famous. That, however, wasn't really something she struggled with, given that she'd already witnessed it up close and personal (her older half-sister, Melissa Gilbert, had likewise been a child star on a wildly successful TV series, "Little House on the Prairie"). "Fame wasn't that strange to me," she told Deadline.

One of the lesser-known facts about Sara Gilbert is that she went to Yale — while still appearing on "Roseanne." That, however, took some finagling. Beyond the scheduling issues involved in attending class and handing in assignments while acting on a sitcom, there were also the geographic logistics to consider, given that Yale is in Connecticut, while "Roseanne" was shot in Los Angeles. 

However, when Gilbert headed to college in the fall of 1993, "Roseanne" producers didn't want to disrupt the storyline by writing Darlene off the show, and instead hatched a plan that would keep the character in Lanford while Gilbert attended Yale. For starters, the show's production began earlier than usual, allowing her to squeeze in three episodes prior to her departure for Connecticut. Then, later in the season, the cast and crew traveled to New York to shoot scenes with Gilbert, who also spent her Christmas vacation and spring breaks on the set. "Just from a logistic standpoint, I was surprised," Gilbert told the Los Angeles Times.

For Gilbert, then 18, the extreme efforts taken to ensure she could remain on the show while pursuing her college dreams had not been lost on her. "I'm really flattered, and sort of relieved that I'll have the opportunity to do both things," she continued, while also revealing she was also ready to explore some new challenges. "I'd like to continue doing ['Roseanne'] as much as possible, but also move on to something else," she said.

Sara Gilbert's high-profile role on "Roseanne" presented her with other acting opportunities that she would have been unlikely to receive had it not been for the show's success. These included the 1992 film "Poison Ivy," starring opposite Drew Barrymore, which she filmed while still appearing on "Roseanne." 

After "Roseanne" ended its run in 1997, Gilbert continued to appear in movies, such as "High Fidelity" and "Riding in Cars With Boys," the latter of which reunited her with former co-star Barrymore and marked her first time working with director Penny Marshall. Landing that role, she told Entertainment Weekly, was no mean feat. "I remember meeting [Marshall] and how she made me audition a lot of times. It wasn't an easy one to get," Gilbert recalled. "And then, you're just thrilled that Penny Marshall wants to work with you."

In 2000, she starred in her own sitcom, "Welcome to New York," which was canceled after its first season. Then came a stint in the second season of action-drama "24," and another sitcom starring role in 2004 with the short-lived "Twins." During the remainder of the decade, Gilbert continued to be an in-demand actor, signing on for a 15-episode story arc on medical drama "ER," and guest-starring on various TV shows. Having successfully made the transition from child actor to adult roles, Gilbert had learned a lot from her early years that helped her to define herself. "The older I get the more I realize that [being a child actor] is a real specific way to grow up," she told Entertainment Weekly. "A lot of your identity is dictated by what people project upon you, and you're not really strong enough to define that on your own terms."

Prior to Johnny Galecki's transformation into one of the stars of "The Big Bang Theory," he portrayed the on-screen boyfriend of Sara Gilbert's  "Roseanne" character. Gilbert's teenage crush on her co-star resulted in the two dating — which ultimately led her to the realization that she was gay. This was a secret she shared with only Galecki. "No one knew at the show, and Johnny held the secret the whole time," she said (as reported by USA Today). "I was always so scared if it came out."

As she grew older, Gilbert kept mum about her sexuality but also didn't put much effort into hiding it. In fact, she was in a low-key (but not secret) relationship with TV writer and producer Ali Adler. During the course of their 10 years together, the couple welcomed two children: son Levi and daughter Sawyer.

As a mother, Gilbert has said she wants to pass three key values along to her children. "I aim to teach my children honesty, kindness, and authenticity since those are the qualities I value most in others," she told ElaineSir. "I think treating others well and being fully ourselves make life meaningful."

After the arrival of her daughter Sawyer, Sara Gilbert began to attend a mothers' group. The conversations she had with other women in the group led her to the realization that she hadn't seen any space on television that could host the types of discussions she and her fellow moms were having — so she decided to create one. She pitched the idea to CBS, and in 2010 launched "The Talk," a daytime talk show in which she was joined by other female hosts, including veteran CBS personality Julie Chen and music manager-turned-TV personality Sharon Osbourne.

Sharing anecdotes from her life with TV viewers was not something that came naturally to Gilbert. "I'm an introvert who's energized by work," she explained in an interview with The New York Times. For Gilbert, the appeal of opening up on a talk was in the authenticity required, not just from her but from the other women as well. "I feel like I try to be authentic to myself, whatever that is," she added. Still, actually putting that into practice required her to push herself out of her introvert comfort zone — which is exactly the challenge that she set for herself when pitching the show in the first place. "I did this because I was scared to do this," she said. "I felt like I wasn't equipped for it and I needed to expand my growth."

Shortly before "The Talk" launched, Sara Gilbert and her co-stars were promoting the show, answering journalists' questions at a press conference hosted by the Television Critics Association. During that session, she finally addressed her sexuality, revealing what anyone paying attention already knew but had never actually confirmed: Yes, she's gay. 

"This is a whole new world for me," she told the assembled journalists, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. "I'm not an expert on this, or I don't analyze these things. I'm just sort of living my life. I plan to put my heart and soul into this show, and I plan to continue acting, and I don't think [coming out] will be a problem. I don't ever really think of things as out or in. I just think I am who I am, and when topics come up that are appropriate, I'll talk about them and share when it seems right."

A few years later — but once again during an episode of "The Talk" — Gilbert confirmed the reason she hadn't made a public coming-out declaration earlier was that she feared the potential impact that being openly gay could have on her career. However, her commitment to authenticity, both on the show and in how she lives her life, compelled her to do it. "I want to live a true life," she said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Beyond that, we do often say things like 'it gets better' — and it does get better."

In 2011, Sara Gilbert told viewers of "The Talk" that she and longtime partner Ali Adler had decided to go their separate ways, amicably separating. "I wouldn't trade that time, it's such a special time in my life," she said when addressing the breakup on "The Talk" (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I will say that we have beautiful children together, a lot of love for each other. You do continue into the next chapter together in a different way."

Gilbert moved on, and a few months later, she was spotted out and about with singer-songwriter Linda Perry, who'd fronted rock band 4 Non Blondes. After paparazzi photos of the lovebirds holding hands made it to the tabloids, Gilbert confirmed they were dating, but admitted she hadn't expected her budding new romance would spark quite the media frenzy that it did. "I go online, and it's on CNN ... it's weird," she told viewers of "The Talk" (via E! News). 

In 2014, the two tied the knot, and Gilbert told viewers about what it was like to be married for the first time. "It definitely feels different," she said (via People). "You feel like you're part of this institution and it's official, and, oh, I better not mess this up." The couple then started a family, welcoming son Rhodes in 2015.

Fans of "Roseanne" learned some momentous news in 2017 with the announcement that ABC was reviving the beloved sitcom. Along with the rest of the original cast, Sara Gilbert was set to reprise Darlene, but would also take a far more active role as a producer on the series — and had actually been instrumental in getting the project off the ground. "I think I didn't feel done with it, honestly," she told Variety. "I think for all these years I've thought about it, measured things against it. And I guess I just needed to go back. ... I just really needed to know what it would feel like to do it now."

When the series finally made its debut, viewership was beyond anything the network could have hoped for when 18 million viewers watched. For Gilbert, returning to the character she'd inhabited for nine seasons felt like putting on a pair of comfortable, worn old shoes. "I know exactly where she lives in my body. I don't have to think about it," Gilbert said. "And I can say a line like Darlene, and it just feels like me."

Yet she was also wearing her producer's hat, which meant sessions in the writers' room, coaching her co-stars on their performances, and myriad other responsibilities. According to "Roseanne" showrunner Bruce Helford, she did it all with aplomb. "Even while she's in the moment as an actress and doing the rehearsal, she's also able to see the play from a producer's standpoint," he observed. "That's impressive."

Just as Sara Gilbert was enjoying the monumental success of the "Roseanne" reboot, it all came crashing down when the show's controversial namesake star Roseanne Barr issued a racist tweet so offensive that ABC immediately canceled the show, quashing plans for what was expected to be a triumphant second season. "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," wrote Gilbert in a tweet. "I am disappointed in her actions to say the least."

Yet the story didn't end there. With Gilbert as producer, another plan emerged, to spin the beloved sitcom family off sans Barr, with her character killed off in the first episode of "The Conners." Essentially "Roseanne" without Roseanne, viewers learned that Barr's character died from an opioid overdose. Barr was incensed and trash-talked Gilbert during an interview with "The Megyn Kelly Show." "It wasn't enough that she stabbed me in the back and did what she did to me," Barr said, "Then she would go on her talk show every day and talk about how shocked she was by my racism on top of it."

In the midst of all this turmoil, behind the scenes, Gilbert's marriage had been falling apart. She and wife Linda Perry separated in 2019. More sad news for Gilbert and Perry followed when their divorce was ultimately finalized two years later.

When "The Connors" debuted later that year, it didn't attract the massive viewership of the "Roseanne" premiere. It did, however, more than hold its own, garnering 13.5 million viewers to become the night's top-rated TV show. With the demands of both acting and producing both the sitcom and the talk show, it became clear that something had to give. During an April 2019 episode of "The Talk," Gilbert made an announcement. "This is something I have been struggling with for a while, and going back and forth, but I've decided it's time for me to leave the show," she told viewers (via Deadline). "Last season I did 'The Conners' and, as you know, also producing ... and I loved it and felt totally empowered. But my life was slightly out of balance, and I was not spending as much time with my three kids as I would like."

It couldn't have been easy for Gilbert to hand over the reins of her beloved daytime creation, which continued on without her until its cancellation in December 2024. Now able to focus entirely on "The Conners," Gilbert guided the show through an impressive seven seasons before ending its run in April 2025. Given that Gilbert had played Darlene for a combined 16 seasons, it was understandably tough for her to say goodbye to "The Conners." This wasn't just leaving a job, she explained, it was essentially breaking up a tight-knit group of actors who'd portrayed one of America's favorite TV families. "It feels like family, and because we did it for so many years, it's sort of deep in our soul," Gilbert told People. "And so that is hard to imagine being without."