Living her best life. Linda Perry says wife Sara Gilbert is finding her stride since announcing her exit from The Talk in April.
“She’s such a talented artist. She’s had a lot of incredible ideas that, for whatever reason, people weren’t jumping,” the Grammy nominee, 54, told Us Weekly exclusively while attending the recent 18th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball at Brentwood County Estates in L.A. (Chrysalis is a nonprofit organization that aids homeless and low-income individuals. The ball, for which Perry was a 2019 honoree, recognizes individuals within the entertainment industries for creative excellence.)

Nowadays, however, it’s a different story for The Conners star, 44. “She created her own way … She’s got her own thing, and so she created it, so now she’s blossoming, she’s shining,” Perry, who tied the knot with the actress in March 2014, explained. “I’m super happy for her because it took her a bit to get there, and now it’s happening, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Gilbert, who serves as an executive producer of The Talk, broke the news on April 9 that she was parting ways with the show she helped create after 9 seasons. “I’ve decided that it’s time for me to leave the show at the end of this season,” she told audience members at the time. “I obviously love it here, and like I said, this was extremely difficult. … 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.”
The Roseanne alum offered some insight as to why she chose to leave The Talk instead of The Conners during an episode of Variety’s “My Favorite Podcast” on Monday, June 3.

“Something had to give,” she reasoned. “And I’ve been lucky enough to do the talk show for nine years. And so that felt like the right move is, ‘OK, I’ve done that. And I’ve fully explored it.’ And now it’s time to do other creative ventures.”
Season 2 of The Conners will premiere on ABC this fall.
With reporting by Taylor Ferber
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