The Gilbert Siblings: All About Melissa, Sara and Jonathan

Mar. 15, 2025

Melissa Gilbert and Jonathan Gilbert. ; Melissa Gilbert and Sarah Gilbert.Photo:Bob V. Noble/Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alamy ; DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Bob V. Noble/Globe Photos/ZUMAPRESS.com/Alamy ; DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Melissa Gilbertand her younger siblings, Jonathan andSara Gilbert, were destined for a career in show business.

While Jonathan stopped acting at age 18, Melissa and Sara’s Hollywood careers continued into adulthood. Sara continues to play Darlene onThe Connersand has appeared inThe Big Bang Theoryand the filmPoison Ivy. She also co-createdThe Talk, where she served as co-host for nine seasons.

Here’s everything to know about Melissa, Jonathan and Sara Gilbert’s sibling relationship, including their beginnings as child actors and the times they’ve shared the screen.

They come from a show business family

Paul Gilbert, Melissa Gilbert and Barbara Crane.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

There is a long history of entertainers in the Gilbert family, so it’s no surprise that Melissa, Jonathan and Sara went into acting.

Their maternal grandfather, Harry Crane, was a comic and screenwriter who created the classic sitcomThe Honeymooners, starring Jackie Gleason. Both their mother, Barbara, and Melissa and Jonathan’s father, Paul, were actors, too.

Jonathan and Melissa both starred inLittle House on the Prairie

Melissa Gilbert and her brother Jonathan Gilbert.Melissa Gilbert Instagram

Melissa Gilbert Instagram

Melissa and Jonathan appeared in 1979’sThe Miracle Worker

Melissa Gilbert and Patty Duke Astin in ‘The Miracle Worker’.Bettmann

Bettmann

The film won anEmmyfor outstanding drama or comedy special in 1980. Melissa was nominated for outstanding lead actress in a limited series or a special, but the award went to her costar, Duke.

Sara pursued acting because of her older siblings

Sara Gilbert and Melissa Gilbert.Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection/Getty

In an interview withDeadline, Sara shared that the gifts that Melissa and Jonathan received around the holidays from theLittle House on the Prairiecrew made her want to join the family business. “I was really jealous, so I wanted in on that,” Sara said about all the presents.

“I also just had this overwhelming sense that I was supposed to be an actor; like, I just knew it,” she added.

Melissa supported Sara when she leftThe Talk

Sara Gilbert celebrates her last day on “The Talk” on Friday, August 2, 2019 with Sheryl Underwood, Carrie Ann Inaba, Sharon Osbourne, and Eve.Cliff Lipson/CBS/Getty

Cliff Lipson/CBS/Getty

After helping createThe Talkand serving as an executive producer and co-host on the show for nine years, Sara announced thatshe was leaving the seriesin 2019 to focus on her family as well as her acting and producing career.

“I obviously love it here and like I said, this was extremely difficult,” Sara said during the Emmy-winning daytime talk show’s April 9, 2019, episode. “Last season, I didThe Conners, as you know, and was also producing, and here, and I loved it and felt totally empowered, but also if I’m being honest about it, I think my life was slightly out of balance and I wasn’t able to spend as much time with my three kids as I’d like, and time for myself.”

Jonathan left Hollywood at age 18

Melissa and Jonathan Gilbert with Alison Arngrim.Globe Photos, Inc/Globe Photos/ZUMA Wire/Alamy

Globe Photos, Inc/Globe Photos/ZUMA Wire/Alamy

At the age of 18, Jonathan walked away from his acting career. Melissa reflected on her brother’s move away from Hollywood and his family in her 2009 autobiography,Prairie Tale: A Memoir. “My brother, Jonathan, completely cut himself off from the family,” Melissa wrote. “He turned 18 and simply disappeared. Though he would turn up a couple of times over several years, I have only seen him three times in the last two decades. Surprisingly, I am at peace with it.”

Melissa has embraced country living

George Holz

Decades after her brother, Melissa has also moved away from Hollywood. In 2013, she bought a home in Michigan with her husband,ThirtysomethingstarTimothy Busfield. While living in Michigan,Melissa ran for Congressin 2016 but withdrew due to health issues.

In 2018, Melissa and Busfield purchased a mountainside cabin in the Catskills as a vacation home, but they’ve since made it their permanent residence. “This is what I’ve always wanted,” she told PEOPLE in 2022 of farm life.

She added, “Aging is not a disease. It’s time we celebrate it. I think it’s so amazing that I get to grow old.”

Sara is divorced

Sara Gilbert and Linda Perry in 2019.Tibrina Hobson/Getty

Tibrina Hobson/Getty

In December 2019, Sarafiled for legal separationfrom Linda Perry after nearly six years of marriage. They share a son,Rhodes Emilio. Meanwhile, Sara is also the mom of Levi Hawk and Sawyer Jane from a previous relationship.

The exesfinalized their divorcein December 2024.

“I’m still on an incredible adventure with Sara. I love her. I adore her,” Perry also toldPage Sixin 2020. “We have a beautiful child together. So that journey’s not ended, it’s evolved into something else.”

source: people.com