Sara Gilbert and Johnny Galecki have been co-stars, lovers, and close friends. Find out how their friendship evolved and how he supported her when she disclosed her sexuality.
Gilbert and Galecki have been friends for a long time and could be described as friendship goals going by how close they are.
They met when they played lovebirds Darlene Conner and David Healy during the original run of the famous show “Roseanne.” Their role as lovebirds on the show made them get closer to each other.
Since then, they have gone on to star in many popular television shows. For instance, Galecki starred as Dr. Leonard Hofstadter on “The Big Bang Theory” and worked as an executive producer on “Living Biblically.”
Meanwhile, Gilbert created the daytime talk show “The Talk” and has starred in several TV series like “The Big Bang Theory” and “Living Biblically,” where she reunited with Galecki.
Find out more about the former co-stars, their relationship and how their friendship evolved to what it is today.
SARA GILBERT’S CAREER RISE
On January 29, 1975, Gilbert was born to Jewish parents Barbara Cowan and Harold Abeles. She has four older half-siblings, including Melissa Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert, who are also in entertainment and starred on “Little House on the Prairie.”
Influenced by her siblings, Gilbert also wanted to be an actress. As a kid, she appeared in TV movies like “Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang,” “Runaway Ralph,” and “Poison Ivy” in 1982, 1988, and 1992, respectively.
At 13, she got to play the character Darlene Conner in “Roseanne” and starred in the show throughout its nine-year run. She starred on the show alongside Galecki.
Gilbert and Galecki’s characters were boyfriend and girlfriend before eventually becoming a married couple on “Roseanne.” Thus, they bonded with each other and became friends.
Eventually, they started dating, and Gilbert opened up about her relationship with Galecki during a September 2013 episode of “The Talk.” She said per Us Weekly:
“So, some of you may know that when I was a teenager, I dated Johnny Galecki for a little while, who played my boyfriend and husband on Roseanne.”
Gilbert said she thought Galecki was super cute and admitted having a crush on him, and then their relationship started.
During the “The Talk” episode, Gilbert revealed that after she and Galecki started dating, they would make out whenever he came over. However, she would get depressed afterward.
Gilbert’s depressive feelings after making out with Galecki bothered him a lot, and he started taking it personally though he did not know what was going on. Gilbert discovered she was lesbian and eventually opened up to Galecki about it. She revealed:
“So I eventually told him that I thought it was about my sexuality and he was super sweet about it.”
Gilbert must have feared the worst outcome after opening up to Galecki about her sexuality, but to her surprise, he was supportive.
The actress revealed that she trusted Galecki with her secret, and he never betrayed her by letting it out, even though she feared the backlash she would receive if she came out.
Gilbert further said Galecki’s support for her has not waned since then. She told him of her plan to discuss her sexuality and his connection to it on “The Talk.” She revealed:
“I called him and I just said, ‘Is it okay — I’m thinking of talking about this. The story sort of starts with you. And I’ve got to say I made out with you and got depressed, which is kind of a bummer.’”
Galecki had no issues with Gilbert discussing the matter on “The Talk” and even offered to be with her while she did it. She described Galecki’s support as being sweet and concluded that her story made him look good. Gilbert revealed:
“He was like, ‘Of course. I love you, and I think it’s really important and I’m so proud of you. If you want, I will be there, and I will hold your hand.’”
Gilbert officially came out as a lesbian in July 2010, a while before the launch of her talk show, “The Talk.” Before then, she had shied away from discussing her sexuality publicly though many people already knew about it.
In 2001, she got involved with TV producer Ali Adler. Gilbert and Adler share two children — son Levi Hank, born to Adler, and daughter Sawyer Jane, born to Gilbert.
In 2011, Gilbert and Adler split but said they still had much love for each other. In November 2011, Gilbert announced she was dating former 4 Non-Blondes frontwoman Linda Perry on an episode of “The Talk.”
Gilbert and Perry got engaged in 2013 and tied the knot in March 2014 in an intimate ceremony in Malibu, California. So many of the couple’s friends and family graced the wedding, which had so much music involved.
On February 28, 2015, Gilbert became a mother of three children after giving birth to her and Perry’s first child, a son named Rhodes Emilio.
Gilbert is a dedicated mom and family woman and announced in 2019 that she was leaving “The Talk” to focus on her family and other career opportunities.
On December 27, 2019, Gilbert filed for legal separation from Perry after five years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in October 2019, two years after their split.
Although Gilbert has experienced several changes in her lifetime, one thing that has remained constant is her friendship with Galecki. The former co-stars maintain an incredible bond and even have plenty of sweet nicknames for each other as a sign of their closeness.
Gilbert and Galecki are total BFF goals because of how long their friendship has lasted and how they continue to support each other in their careers and personal struggles.
They are each other’s biggest cheerleaders and have shared so many memorable moments over the years. In addition, they have indescribable chemistry that even lovers would marvel out.
Gilbert and Galecki’s rare friendship is great to see. One can only hope that they continue to be there for each other and experience more growth in their careers and personal lives.