Whatever Happened To Sara Gilbert?

Back in the 1990s, Sara Gilbert was the perfect embodiment of the typical teenager. Sullen, sarcastic, and strong-minded, her performance as daughter Darlene Conner in the classic comedy "Roseanne" deservedly earned two consecutive Emmy Award nominations, as well as the admiration of any youngster who's screamed at their parents, "You just don't understand."

Of course, more than 25 years after the show's 1997 original cancelation, Gilbert is no longer the stroppy adolescent. She's a mother of one (and stepmother of two), a divorcee, and a power player in the worlds of both daytime television and prime-time sitcoms. And as shown in the ill-fated "Roseanne" revival and far less turbulent spinoff "The Conners," her most famous character is all grown-up now, too.

From behind-the-scenes endeavors and big-screen returns to chat show revelations and celebrity friendships, here's a look at exactly what the sitcom favorite has been up to in recent years.

In 2018, Roseanne Barr was called out by many of her "Roseanne" co-stars for an anti-Muslim, racist comment she made about Barack Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett on X, formerly known as Twitter. Several years later, the comedian still appears to hold a grudge against one of these former castmates in particular.

Sara Gilbert, who played Barr's daughter Darlene in the eponymous sitcom and then again in the spinoff "The Conners," condemned her on-screen mother at the time, tweeting, "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. I am disappointed in her actions to say the least." She also spoke out about the controversy while co-hosting "The Talk," prompting Barr to issue a foul-mouthed warning.

During an interview on SiriusXM's "The Megyn Kelly Show," Barr recalled, "It wasn't enough that she stabbed me in the back and did what she did to me there, but then she would go on her talk show every day and talk about how shocked she was at my racism on top of it ... I called her up, and I said, just like this, 'You better shut your blankin' mouth about me. I'm telling you, you better shut your effing mouth.' And then, she did."

Daytime chat show "The Talk" was essentially Sara Gilbert's baby. The star best known as Darlene Conner on "Roseanne" not only regularly appeared on its panel alongside the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Leah Remini, and Julie Chen Moonves to discuss the issues of the day, but she also created it. But in 2019, after nine years on air, the multi-talent decided it was time to let someone else take the reins.

Gilbert delivered this news on air, telling audiences that her commitments on both "The Talk" and "The Conners" had been detrimental to her family life — she has three kids, Levi Hank, Sawyer Jane, and Rhodes Emilio — and that something had to give: "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. I wasn't able to spend as much time with my three kids as I'd like, or take time for myself."

Speaking to "The Big Ticket" podcast in 2020, Gilbert admitted (via Variety) that although she was happy with her decision, she was showing withdrawal symptoms: "I loved seeing those women every day and connecting with them, and the producers and the crew and staff. It was just such a great environment, such a friendly place to go every day. So I do miss that."

At one point, Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry looked like they might challenge Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi as Hollywood's ultimate lesbian power couple. But in 2019, five years after they walked down the aisle together, the actor and hitmaker sadly revealed they were heading for the divorce courts.

According to People, Gilbert had filed for divorce proceedings, having cited irreconcilable differences. But the pair appear to have kept things amicable since. They came to a joint legal custody agreement over their son Rhodes Emilio, and in 2020, Perry told Page Six that although her marriage to "The Conners" star is over, her relationship with her isn't.

"You have to look at life as life, and things happen," the 4 Non Blondes singer said. "I'm still on an incredible adventure with Sara. I love her. I adore her. We have a beautiful child together. So that journey's not ended, it's evolved into something else."

With Roseanne's spinoff "The Conners" becoming one of the jewels in the ABC crown, its home network has been keen to ensure that its major players stay on board. And in 2021, they did so by offering its three most established stars a bumper pay packet.

Alongside co-stars Laurie Metcalf and John Goodman, Sara Gilbert was reportedly offered a whopping $400,000 per episode to continue playing Darlene Conner in the hit sitcom. According to Deadline, the deal spanned the entirety of the fourth season run. And with 20 episodes filmed, that essentially made Gilbert and co. millionaires eight times over. In fact, Celebrity Net Worth claims that the Californian now has a remarkable $30 million to her name!

Unlike the industry standard, which usually offers cast members six-year deals, the stars of "The Conners" were placed on annual deals, giving Gilbert, Goodman, and Metcalf plenty of leverage when it came to having those crucial talks. 

As well as continuing to play Darlene in the successful "Roseanne" spinoff "The Conners," — its sixth season will premiere in 2024 — Sara Gilbert appears to have several other projects in the pipeline, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.

In 2023, the Californian was announced as the executive producer of "The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh," an immigration sitcom based on the real-life experiences of Vijal Patel, who moved with his family from India to the United States. But that's not her only affiliation with a true story.

Two years earlier, Gilbert was named alongside the likes of Rob Huebel, Lyiq Bent, and Tate Donovan in the cast for "Verbatim," an HBO Max anthology whose first season would center on the 2019 college admissions scandal in which "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman was sent to jail. It wasn't announced which part the Emmy Award nominee signed up to play, and we're still none the wiser. As of yet, the series hasn't made it to air.

Sara Gilbert was considered so cool back in her early "Roseanne" days that she was reportedly allowed to become the only female member of Hollywood's coolest friendship group: the P**** Posse. According to various reports, the Californian regularly joined the likes of Tobey Maguire, David Blaine, and, of course, its de facto leader, Leonardo DiCaprio, in their various 1990s shenanigans. And she still appears to be close friends with the latter.

In 2023, Gilbert was snapped watching Daniil Medvedev take on Novak Djokovic in the Men's US Open final at Flushing Meadows in the row in front of DiCaprio. Some eagle-eyed fans believed that she got annoyed with her A-lister pal at one point for talking through the game. But it obviously wasn't too much of a drama as just two months later, she happily accepted an invitation to attend the "Titanic" star's 49th birthday bash in Beverly Hills.

It's not known exactly how unlikely friends Gilbert and DiCaprio first connected. But the most likely theory is that they started hanging out after the latter made an uncredited cameo as a classmate of Darlene Conner in a 1991 episode of "Roseanne."