Johnny Galecki Made Sara Gilbert Realize She Was Gay
‘The Talk’ co-host Sara Gilbert, 38, revealed on the Sept. 12 show that she knew she was a lesbian when she dated actor Johnny Galecki, 38, in her teens.
Sara made a personal and deep revelation during ‘secret’ week on The Talk, saying that when she dated her Roseanne co-star long ago, she made a definitive realization about her sexuality.
Sara Gilbert Reveals How She Knew She Was Gay
Sara Gilbert has had her ups and downs with coming out in public, but her secret reveal on The Talk was about how she knew that she was gay for the first time.
“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,” Sara said. “And I thought he was super cute and had a total crush on him, and we started dating, and he would come over, and we would make out, and then I would start to get depressed. Johnny felt badly, I think, and started to take it personally and didn’t know what was going on.”
What a hard thing to struggle with — how did Johnny end up reacting to her confession?
“I eventually told him that I thought it was about my sexuality and he was super sweet about it,” she said. She also revealed that she told him ahead of time that she was planning on telling this secret, and he even said he would hold her hand on the show while she spoke. How sweet! Not only were they co-stars in Roseanne, but they were also in The Big Bang Theory together. After working together for so long and dating as teens, it just goes to show how true and deep their friendship is.
Sara Gilbert On Coming Out: ‘Would I Lose My Career?’
As if having to tell Johnny that she was gay wasn’t frightening enough, later in life, Sara was also afraid to come out publicly for fear that she couldn’t work as an actress anymore.
“I started dating a woman who was like 18 years older than I was, who was also in the public eye, and it was something that people could have found out about,” she said. “No one knew at the show for years, and Johnny held the secret the whole time, and I just felt like always so scared that if it came out, what could happen. Would I lose my career? Could I ever play a straight role again?”
Obviously with her major acting success and career, it all worked out for the best — but didn’t know it at the time.
“I want to live a true life,” she explained. “And beyond that, I guess I just want people to know that we do often say things like ‘it gets better’ — and it does get better. And like I said, I have an amazing life. But I want people to know that there can still be a struggle with it, and that’s okay. It really is like a process. There can be a part of you that doesn’t want to be different or feel scared. And that is maybe more important than any of it.”
We’re so happy that Sara is comfortable enough to share this amazing message! And since April, she’s been happily engaged to musician Linda Perry. What do YOU think, HollywoodLifers? Could you do what Sara did on TV and reveal such an important announcement? Let us know!
WATCH: Sara Gilbert Reveals When She Knew She Was Gay
— Ivy Jacobson
More Sara Gilbert News:
- Sara Gilbert & Linda Perry Are Engaged — Congrats
- Happy Birthday, Sara Gilbert! You’re 36 Today, January 29!
- HollyMoms, We Watched The New Show ‘The Talk’ So That You Don’t Have To!