When Sara Gilbert announced that she was stepping away from The Talk in April 2019, her co-hosts were left heartbroken.

Throughout the years, television programs have continued to adapt with the times. Indeed, as more and more people watch the box, they’re given the luxury of choice via a number of different channels. And when it comes to variety of content, daytime TV is hard to beat.

One of the most prevalent formats on daytime television, however, is of course the talk show. Compared to their late-night counterparts, after all, these programs are far more laidback in their presentation and content. Covering a number of different subjects in any given episode, they have a wide appeal to the viewers at home.

The Talk is one such program, airing throughout the week on the CBS network. Created back in 2010, the show has been fronted by a number of different co-hosts, including the likes of Sharon Osbourne, Julie Chen and Leah Remini. Series creator Sara Gilbert was also a member of the panel in that first season.

Of that original group of panelists, only Gilbert and Osbourne remained by season nine, with the show having cycling through a variety of other co-hosts in the intervening years. However, everything changed in April 2019. In that month, you see, The Talk’s creator revealed some news that broke her co-hosts’ hearts.

But where did it all start? Born in January 1975, Gilbert – then known as Sara Rebecca Abeles – grew up in Santa Monica, California, with her parents Harold Abeles and Barbara Cowan. She also had an older brother and sister from her mother’s previous marriage to actor Paul Gilbert, and her siblings were named Jonathan and Melissa. And from a young age, the future star had aspirations of becoming an actress.

As it turned out, though, Gilbert’s family already had a history in the entertainment industry. Her grandmother was a former winner of the Miss Brooklyn beauty contest, for instance, while her grandpa worked as a scriptwriter. In addition to that heritage, the Santa Monica native’s mom plied her trade as a producer.

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But the connections didn’t end there, either, as Gilbert’s brother and sister were also involved in show business. Jonathan and Melissa Gilbert both starred in Little House on the Prairie, in fact, with the latter appearing in all 205 episodes of the program. And in time, it seemed that the pair’s younger sibling looked to follow suit.

That’s right: Gilbert’s very first television appearance was in a Kool-Aid commercial back in 1981, with her first big moment coming some three years later. In 1984, you see, the aspiring actress earned a credit in the television film Calamity Jane, playing a character named Jean. And that wasn’t all.

That same year, the thespian chose to lose Abeles and instead took on her new name: Sara Gilbert. Her life changed forever in 1988, too, when she was cast in the ABC comedy series Roseanne. Thanks to her portrayal of Darlene Conner, Gilbert subsequently became an established presence on the small screen alongside her co-stars John Goodman and Roseanne Barr.

And during Roseanne’s initial nine-year run on the small screen, Gilbert picked up plenty of plaudits for her performances. The Santa Monica native earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1993 and 1994, for instance; in addition to that recognition, she also won three consecutive Young Artist Awards in the early ’90s.

Outside of Roseanne, Gilbert continued to take on a number of different roles – the first of which arrived in 1990. In that year, the actress appeared as one of the leads in Sudie and Simpson – a television movie featuring the likes of Louis Gossett Jr. and Frances Fisher. Then, two years later, she reached yet another milestone in her career.

That came when Gilbert bagged her first big-screen role in the 1992 thriller Poison Ivy. Taking on the character of Sylvie Cooper, she formed part of a cast that included Drew Barrymore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Skerritt. And from there, the rising star returned to television later the same year when she guested on an episode of The Simpsons.

In 1994 Gilbert made her next big-screen appearance in the movie Dead Beat – another thriller that also featured Balthazar Getty and Debbie Harry among its cast. Then, some two years later, she had a small part in the TV show ABC Afterschool Specials. Everything changed, however, in the spring of 1997.

Yes, at that time, Roseanne finally came to an end after nine seasons, with the last episode drawing an audience of more than 16 million people. After that definitive moment, Gilbert went on to appear in a string of movie releases at the back-end of the decade, including Desert Blue and The Big Tease. But her work certainly didn’t end there.

After bagging a role in the comedy High Fidelity, Gilbert returned to the small screen in the year 2000. She had been cast in a new show titled Welcome to New York, where she played a character named Amy Manning. Unfortunately for the Santa Monica native, though, the program only lasted for 16 episodes.

Seemingly putting that disappointment behind her, Gilbert then popped up in the popular TV series 24 in 2002. The actress went on to feature in five episodes of the Kiefer Sutherland-led show’s second season before scoring a small part in Will & Grace. And from there, she enjoyed a very busy period on the small screen in the mid-aughts.

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During that period, you see, Gilbert could be seen on screen in series such as ER, Twins and The Class as well as Private Practice. And after these parts, she also earned small roles in Grey’s Anatomy and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit prior to her appearance in TNT’s Hawthorne. In 2010, though, her career took an interesting turn.

Gilbert showed her creative talents at this point by putting together a brand-new daytime show titled The Talk, which debuted on the airwaves in October 2010. In addition to that, she took on the job of executive producer – although, of course, that wasn’t the only way in which the star was involved.

Yes, alongside the likes of Osbourne and Chen, Gilbert tried her hand as a co-host of the show. And the role was one that she would seemingly go on to embrace for close to a decade as she became an ever-present fixture on the panel. By season nine, though, Osbourne and Gilbert were the only original hosts left on the series.

And up until the ninth season of The Talk, Gilbert had appeared in close to 1,500 episodes – a remarkable feat by anyone’s standards. However, in April 2019 the co-host had an announcement to make regarding her future involvement with the show – and unfortunately for her fans, the news was fairly definitive.

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Sitting alongside Osbourne and the other co-hosts – Carrie Ann Inaba, Sheryl Underwood and Eve – Gilbert addressed the audience. “I’m nervous,” the actress admitted. “This is hard to do and something… that I have been struggling with for a while and going back and forth. But I have decided that it’s time for me to leave the show.”

But Gilbert would offer a detailed explanation of her decision to quit The Talk. “My life was slightly out of balance,” she continued. “I wasn’t able to spend as much time with my three kids as I’d like – or time for myself. And as I’ve continued on, I’m starting to develop more things to produce, and I’m having opportunities to act.”

“I’m just feeling like I don’t know how I’m going to do it all,” Gilbert added. “I was looking at the next six months and just thinking, ‘There’s no time.’” The actress then referred again to her children: Sawyer, Levi Hank and Rhodes Emilio.

According to Gilbert, she has found it tough to fit her busy schedule around the trio. “I’ll look at even small things in my life. My youngest is four years old, and I still haven’t made his baby book,” she said. “You know, you sit, and you think, ‘Oh my God.’”

“My daughter is looking at [her baby book] last night, and I was like, ‘Ahh, [my son’s] going to figure it out soon,’” Gilbert continued. “Just basic life things.” Nevertheless, the series creator went on to praise those who are still involved with the show ahead of thanking the viewers at home.

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“It’s difficult, because this is a place I love, and a place that I’m extremely happy,” Gilbert confessed to the spectators. “I love the hosts, I love the crew, I love our staff. I’m so grateful to the audience for letting me in your homes every day; it’s been such an honor.”

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At that point, though, Gilbert offered some positive news to her fans by suggesting that she’ll still appear on The Talk from time to time. “I’m not going anywhere yet, I’ll be here for the rest of the season,” she concluded. “I will come back, [and] I will guest co-host. You’re not gonna get rid of me, so I’ll be around.”

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And, understandably, Gilbert’s colleagues were left very emotional following the announcement, with Osbourne in particular breaking down in tears. But despite those feelings of sadness, the panelists still summoned up enough composure to hail their friend’s achievements, and Underwood was the first to share her thoughts.

“I want to say personally [that] you are an amazing woman,” Underwood told Gilbert. “You are a true example for others to follow. You created something very, very special with The Talk. But more than that, you are an amazing mother, you’re an amazing partner, wife… You are just such a beautiful spirit.”

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Underwood added, “We all wish you Godspeed to greater things, and you will never be forgotten.” Co-host Eve then weighed in with her thoughts regarding Gilbert’s departure from The Talk. And in particular, she focused on the friendship that the two had built since the hip-hop star had joined the show back in season eight.

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“We all understand the evolution of a person, of a woman, of a mom,” Eve told Gilbert in front of the studio cameras. “I have learned a lot. Thank you for letting me in. I feel like I’ve been able to see some beautiful sides of you. And I love you.” But Osbourne’s tribute was arguably the most emotional of them all.

Having sat with Gilbert for nearly a decade on The Talk, Osbourne had seemingly developed a real bond with the actress. “I want to say so many things to Sara,” the co-host declared. “I’ve never worked with anyone for nine years before. I always get fired.”

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“This to me has been the best table,” Osbourne continued before making an interesting point. “There’s always someone. You can respect people, and you can enjoy working with them, but there is always someone that gets on your nerves. It’s true, and there is nobody that gets on each other’s nerves here.”

And Osbourne hailed Gilbert’s overall contribution to the series. “I think that Sara, since she took over this seat, has just been slamming it every show,” she added. “And you’ve all seen her dry humor that comes out of nowhere, and she’s so quick and so sarcastic and so fabulous.”

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Meanwhile, Gilbert’s announcement was later shared via The Talk’s official Twitter account. That particular tweet drew a big response from online users, too, earning in excess of 2,200 likes and close to 300 retweets on the social media website.

In addition, the tweet generated close to 500 comments as a number of fans chose to share their thoughts on the situation. “The love that your co-hosts shared with you says so much about you, Sara Gilbert,” wrote Veronica Ruiz. “I started watching this show because of you.”

Elsewhere, another Twitter user was clearly devastated by the news. “Oh my God, I’m so, so very sad,” Kim Nash tweeted. “I was yelling at the TV, ‘NOOOO!’ And crying with them! I genuinely love seeing Sara Gilbert every day! I’m very happy for all her new projects and success, but I don’t know who could ever replace her! Honestly!”

But regardless of the impact that Gilbert’s announcement made on The Talk fans, the revelation came at an interesting point in the star’s career. Roseanne had been revived in 2018, with Gilbert reprising the role of Darlene Conner in season ten of the sitcom.

The reboot initially proved immensely popular, too, with the debut episode of the new season drawing an audience of over 27 million people. Another run of the series was therefore scheduled, although events subsequently took an unexpected turn. Following a controversial tweet from the show’s lead, Roseanne Barr, ABC reversed the decision to renew in May 2018.

However, there would be one more twist to the story. Around a month on from the cancellation, ABC decided to create a spin-off of Roseanne entitled The Conners. Gilbert consequently appeared in all 11 episodes of the first season, and a second run is now on the horizon. As for the actress’ role on The Talk? Well, in May 2019, none other than Marie Osmond was announced to be stepping into Gilbert’s shoes.