Sara Gilbert gave an emotional farewell during her last episode of 'The Talk,' which aired on Friday.
Sara Gilbert gave an emotional farewell during her last episode of The Talk, which aired on Friday.
The 44-year-old actress created the popular CBS daytime talk show that began airing in 2010, and serves as an executive producer. In April, she announced she was leaving after nine years to make time for other projects and to spend time with her three children. Friday marked her last episode, and as expected, plenty of tears were shed.
Gilbert got a standing ovation from the audience right at the start of the show, and after a montage of her most memorable moments over the years, Gilbert received a few heartfelt words from her co-hosts, Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Eve and Sharon Osbourne. However, it was a special surprise performance by Gilbert's daughter, Sawyer Gilbert Adler, that made the episode even sweeter.
Before the performance, Sawyer, who also took the stage with Gilbert's wife, Linda Perry, said, "She thinks we’re playing 'Shallow,' but I didn’t think that was special enough, so I wrote you [Gilbert] a song. It’s called ‘Mama.'"
During the farewell episode, Osbourne -- who's been the only remaining original host of the show alongside Gilbert -- shed tears as she talked about what their friendship has meant to her over the past nine years.
"Coming every day, seeing Sara -- she can read me, I can read her," Osbourne said. "If there's anything on my mind, I tell Sara. Now, it's like, I won't have Sara here. While my husband [Ozzy Osbourne] has been sick, Sara's just gone out of her way to find little things that she knows he'll like and buy for him and he considers her a friend too. She's like a sister that I never had. I can tell her things and she gives me good advice… It is like not having a sister with you anymore and it's going to be hard, but she only lives down the road. Just literally across the street. I will be paying her many visits. She's not going out from any of our lives."
Gilbert wiped away her own tears as she shared a personal message for Osbourne, referencing the early days of The Talk.
"I really wanted Sharon to be on this panel and I fought for her to be here, and she wanted to do it and I was so grateful," she recalled. "And, I know this is, like, completely unprofessional, but right after she got the job, I called her and I was like, 'I don't know what I'm doing. How do I do this?' And she said, 'Just be yourself.' And you gave me permission to do that over these years. And, we've shared so much together, so much joy and pain. We've been there with each other and for each other through so many moments… I love you and I know this is not a goodbye and that we're going to be in each other's lives. I'll make sure of that."
Gilbert later gave Osbourne another shout-out.
"And I want to also make sure I said enough about Sharon that you're just the most special, warm, loving person," she said. "I hope I said enough things when we did that segment, but you know how I feel."
"To our audience, I mean, none of this would be here without you," she continued. "And you all may often think like, 'Oh, Sara is this crazy hippie with a life that's so different from mine and what is she talking about,' but whether you have agreed with me or not, you've let me into your homes and you've allowed me to have a voice and I will miss that more than you know. This show has always been about community and connection and I want to thank you for letting me belong and thank you for listening."
ET spoke exclusively with 66-year-old Osbourne during the taping of the show on Wednesday, and she shared her bittersweet feelings about Gilbert's departure.
"[I'm feeling] really sad but yet I'm happy for Sara, what she's going on to do, so it's like, I'm sad for myself not having that thing of coming in every day and working with Sara," a clearly emotional Osbourne told ET. " ... We're just very close. She's probably one of my bestest friends that I've ever had because I've known her a long time but only worked with her and got close with her over the last nine years, but as I said, we live right near each other so she can't get away from me."
She also shared one final heartfelt message for her close friend.
"Sara Gilbert, you're the best -- irreplaceable, the best, a comedy genius, the best friend I've got in my life. You've been a good friend to everybody here, we all adore you, and you know what, you're going on to great things in your life, so, I'll always be a part of your life, Ms., you're not getting rid of me."
For more on Gilbert's final days on The Talk, watch the video below:
RELATED CONTENT:
