For years Sara Gilbert acted as a straight girl and then woman on "Roseanne." However, she ended up coming out as a lesbian and married her first wife, Linda Perry, but the union sadly ended in divorce.
Sara Rebecca Abeles, born on January 29, 1975, at St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, California, now goes by Sara Gilbert. She became interested in acting when she saw her half-sister, Melissa Gilbert, receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at age six.
In 1984, Sara starred in several commercials and played a role in the film "Calamity Jane," which led her to adopt the Gilbert family name. She eventually found success in 1988 with a role as seemingly straight girl Darlene Conner on "Roseanne."
Conner had a boyfriend, played by Johnny Galecki, and even married him on the show where she starred for nine years. Besides the sitcom, Sara also did the voice for Laura Powers in 1989's "The Simpsons."
She also appeared in several films, including 1990's "Sudie and Simpson," 1992's "Poison Ivy," and 1999's "Light It Up." In later years she starred in the series "Atypical," and "Roseanne" reboot, "The Conners," plus she helped co-host "The Talk" for years.
Sara Gilbert and son Levi Hank Gilbert-Adler at the P.S. Arts "Express Yourself 2008" on November 16, 2008, in Santa Monica, California | Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
REALIZING HER SEXUALITY
Generally, people thought Sara was straight until she came out as gay. In September 2013, during an emotional episode of "The Talk," the co-hosts confessed their secrets for the show's segment.
Sara noted how she'd dated Galecki for a while when she was a teenager. She confessed that she'd thought he was cute and had a crush on him before they started dating, but when they were together, things changed, with her stating:
“He would come over, and we would make out, and then I would start to get depressed."
Sara thought Galecki would feel bad about her feelings and started taking it personally because he didn't know what was happening. She eventually told him that she suspected it had to do with her sexuality, and her boyfriend was sweet about it.
COMING OUT
In July 2010, the star came out as a lesbian, and it was revealed at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Los Angeles. On "The Talk," Sara said being out was something new.
She explained that she wasn't an expert about it and hadn't analyzed her sexuality as she was living her life. The actress said she planned to continue working on the talk show and acting if her coming out wasn't a problem.
She explained she never thought of things as being in or out because she was just who she was. Sara said when appropriate topics came up; she was willing to address them when the time was right.
WHY OMIT PARTNER'S NAME
Just the week before Sara came out, CBS sent out the press release about the talk show and mentioned the husbands of the rest of the hosts. When it came to Sara, strangely, only her children were mentioned.
The television star explained that her then-girlfriend, Allison Adler, wasn't mentioned because she asked CBS not to. Sara felt the talk show was focused on motherhood and parenting and not on their personal lives.
She said now that she'd come out, she would discuss her personal life a bit more. The star didn't want to announce her sexuality in a CBS press release because it felt impersonal, and she wanted to do it herself.
METTING HER WIFE
In January 2012, Linda Perry told E! News that it was awesome being with Sara. She confessed that she hadn't expected that she and the actress would date, but they had an instant connection when they met.
The singer-songwriter explained how they were alike but different, and somehow that worked. At the time, Sara and Perry had been dating for eight months and were going on their ninth one but weren't living together.
The former 4 Non-Blondes frontwoman now also works as a producer. She's also worked on the music for a Broadway musical based on "To Die For," which was Gus Van Sant's 1995 movie.
PERRY'S PROPOSAL
In April 2013, Sara shared on "The Talk" how Perry surprised her with a romantic proposal over a picnic in the park. While the pair were eating, a guy was playing the guitar and started playing the couple's song.
The actress thought that was weird but welcomed it until the song finished and Perry said she was going to ask the musician to play another song they knew. Surprisingly, the musician knew the track.
Suddenly, the other picnickers started pulling out string instruments from under blankets and walked over to Sara and Perry and played the Cure's "Love Song." Then Perry pulled out T-shirts that spelled out, "Will you marry me?"
The singer then presented the talk show host a ring. Perry asked Sara to turn around only to find their mothers and a couple of friends standing by, then another guy walks up and gets introduced as John Waite, and he starts playing "Missing You."
THE WEDDING
The couple stayed engaged for 11 months and married on March 30, 2014. The wedding was held in Malibu, California's One Gun Ranch, starting with a cocktail party and boasting a vegan menu.
Sara was surprised during the ceremony when her fiancée got on stage and sang John Lennon's "Love." The couple got married by someone who got flown in last minute because the official one got sick that morning and couldn't make it.
THE SEPARATION
On December 27, 2019, Sara sadly filed for legal separation from her wife after five years. She listed their date of separation as August 13, 2019, and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
In January 2020, Perry spoke to Page Six about her relationship with Sara while at the Art of Elysium Gala at the Hollywood Palladium. Speaking sincerely about her relationship, the producer said:
“You have to look at life as life, and things happen. I’m still on an incredible adventure with Sara. I love her. I adore her.”
The singer said they had two beautiful children together, one being Rhodes Emilio Gilbert-Perry, who was welcomed in 2015, and that journey hadn't ended. Perry felt their path together had just evolved into something else.
DIVORCE AND CHILD CUSTODY
The divorce was finalized on October 15, 2021, two years after the couple's separation. Both stars received joint legal custody of their son and had to co-parent him together.
ABOUT SON & SARA AND LINDA'S RELATIONSHIP NOW
Rhodes was born on February 28, 2015, and during an episode of "The Talk," a photo of the boy was shared with the audience. Besides Rhodes, Sara also had two other children, Levi and Sawyer, whom she shares with her ex Alison Adler.
In April 2015, Sara shared another image of her newborn baby on Instagram where he was seen sleeping. She shared another sleeping photo of a much older Rhodes in September 2020. For their part, in May 2020, Perry and Sara were seen on an outing with their son in Los Angeles.
- On April 9, Sara Gilbert announced that she's leaving The Talk after 9 years to "have balance" in her life.
- The Roseanne star has three children: Levi Hawk, Sawyer Jane, and Rhodes Emilio.
- Following her split from Allison Adler, she married songwriter and music producer Linda Perry in 2014.
On Tuesday's episode of The Talk, the show's creator Sara Gilbert announced that she's stepping away from the popular daytime show for more "balance" and to pursue other work. The top project on her list? Spending more time with wife Linda Perry and their three children. While the show creator, producer, and star of Roseanne has managed to keep her personal life private throughout the years, here's everything we know about her family.
November 2011: Sara Gilbert reveals she's dating Linda Perry on The Talk.
2011 proved to be a year of major highs and serious lows for Sara. After being picked up by CBS the previous year, The Talk was now averaging 1.83 million viewers per episode, beating out other competitors. During that same year, however, Sara and her longtime girlfriend Allison Adler split after 10 years together. Despite their breakup, the couple who were parents to two children — Levi Hank, born to Adler in October 2004, and Sawyer Jane, born to Sara in August 2007 — still had "a lot of love for each other."
Just a few month later, Sara gushed to her The Talk cohosts about the new lady in her life: singer, songwriter, producer, and former 4 Non Blondes front woman Linda Perry. While she remained mum about how the couple met, she revealed that they were seen by paparazzi, prompting her to announce the news. Throughout the next few years, Linda made several guest appearances on the popular CBS show to promote her charity work and new music.
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Linda Perry - Letter To God
Watch onNow that same-sex marriage was finally legal in California, the couple decided it was time to make things official. Linda made the first move: "She goes to her backpack and she pulls out these T-shirts and the first T-Shirt says 'will' and then puts on another T-shirt and it says, 'you,' then 'marry,' 'me,' Sara recalled on The Talk. "It was the most amazing proposal ever." To top it off, the people picnicking beside them, who were actually hired by Linda, played "Love Song" on string instruments.
When reflecting on their relationship, Linda told Entertainment Tonight that "there's no doubt about Sara and I are supposed to be together." While she was excited about the prospects of marriage, the singer felt confident that the engagement wouldn't affect their relationship. "It actually doesn't feel any different because Sara and I have such a grounded relationship," Linda told Artisan News.
March 2014: The couple gets married in Malibu.
After nearly four years of dating, the couple wed in an intimate ceremony in Malibu, California. The night was all about friends, family, and of course, music. "We decided that we wanted to be together and enjoy people’s company, because I think people miss that part of their wedding. We wanted to bring everybody with us down the hill and have this communal feeling," Sara said on The Talk. Just like their proposal, Linda had another musical trick up her sleeve. After serenading Sara with John Lennon's "Love," Linda surprised her wife with a performance by Annabella Lwin from Bow Wow Wow, Martha Davis from The Motels, Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons, and Terri Nunn from Berlin.
Party aside, the wedding itself was a milestone for the happy couple. "It feels more different than you expect. You feel like you’re part of this institution and it’s official, and, oh, I better not mess this up. You feel safer in a way and you feel like you’ve really committed and it’s not about, can I deal with this or not deal with it. It becomes, how will we deal with our relationship together," Sara said on The Talk after her wedding.
February 2015: Sara gives birth.
First comes love, then comes marriage ... then comes a baby. Although the couple was already parents to Sara's two kids from her previous relationship, they agreed that it was important for them to have a baby of their own. "I knew when we got married that Linda needed a baby. That even though we were a family — the four of us — she needed to follow a little soul from day one," Sara said while being honored at Family Equality Council's 2016 LA Impact Awards.
During a taping of The Talk, Sara announced that the couple were expecting their first child together. She gave birth to Rhodes Emilio on February 28, 2015.
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The Talk Exclusive Baby News! Sara Gilbert Announces Pregnancy on The Talk
Watch onNearly a year later, Linda talked about the impact motherhood has had on her life and marriage: "Sara and I, she's changed my life. We were talking about having a baby and we described this little human. He's in my life. That guy that we were talking about, that little human is sitting upstairs in the hotel room and I can't believe it. He's changed my life," Linda said at Family Equality Council's 2016 LA Impact Awards.
April 2019: Sara announces she's leaving The Talk to spend more time with her family.
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Watch on
With the comeback of Roseanne (now The Conners) and the success of The Talk, Sara admitted to viewers that she has too much on her plate, especially with her three growing children. Now that her children are 14, 11, and 4 years old, the mom is busier than ever, which is part of the reason why she's pulling back from the CBS show. "I loved it and felt totally empowered, but also, if I’m being honest about it, my life was slightly out of balance. I wasn’t able to spend as much time with my three kids as I’d like, or time for myself," Sara reflected on her decision to exit.
Along with new acting and production opportunities, the 44-year-old is looking forward to spending more time with her wife and children. And now she might even have time to finish Rhodes Emilio's baby book ... at least that's her goal.
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Amanda Garrity
Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.