Lesbian actress Sara Gilbert to leave The Talk after nine seasons
Sara Gilbert (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty)
Lesbian actress Sara Gilbert — who is perhaps best known for playing Darlene Conner in Roseanne — has announced that she is leaving chat show The Talk after nine seasons.
Gilbert—who created The Talk and served as its executive producer—made the announcement on Tuesday (April 9) at the beginning of the episode.
“This is hard to do,” Gilbert said while visibly emotional.
Sara Gilbert said her life was ‘slightly out of balance’
“Last season I did The Connors as you know, and was also producing,” she said.
“I loved it and felt totally empowered, but also, if I’m being honest about it, I think my life was slightly out of balance and I wasn’t able to spend as much time with my three kids as I’d like, or time for myself.
“As I’ve continued on I’m starting to develop more things to produce and I’m having opportunities to act and I’m just feeling like I don’t know how I’m going to do it all.
“If I’m being honest about it, I think my life was slightly out of balance and I wasn’t able to spend as much time with my three kids as I’d like.”
– Lesbian actress Sara Gilbert
“I was looking at the next six months and thinking ‘there’s not time’, and I’ll look at even just small things in my life. My youngest is four years old and I still haven’t made his baby book.
She continued: “Just basic life things, but it’s difficult because this is a place that I love and a place that I’m extremely happy. I love the hosts, I love the crew, I love our staff, I am so grateful to the audience for letting me in your homes every day. It’s been such an honour.”
Gilbert said that she will finish the season of The Talk and that she hopes to return as a guest host in the future.
Sara Gilbert is married to Linda Perry
Sara Gilbert came out as a lesbian in 2010 and in 2014 she married 4 Non Blondes singer Linda Perry.
Before she came out, Gilbert was in a relationship with her Roseanne and The Big Bang Theory co-star Johnny Galecki.
Speaking on The Talk in 2013, Gilbert said: “I thought he was super cute and I had a total crush on him. And we started dating and he would come over and we would, like, make out, and then I would start to get depressed.”
She added: “I eventually told him I thought it was about my sexuality and he was super sweet about it.”
Before she began her relationship with Perry, Gilbert was in a relationship with TV producer Allison Adler for 10 years. The couple had two children together, but separated in August 2011.
“I started dating a woman who was like 18 years older than I was, who was also in the public eye. It was something people could have found out about. Like no one knew at the show for years, and Johnny held the secret the whole time.
“And I always felt so scared. If it came out, what could happen? Could I lose my career? Will I ever be able to play a straight role again?” she said in 2013.
