See "Roseanne" and "Scrubs" Star Sarah Chalke Now at 45
You can catch the actor on her hit Netflix show right now.
Sarah Chalke first got her start in the entertainment business when she was 12 years old and was cast as a reporter on the Canadian children's show, KidZone. Then, in 1993, she famously replaced Lecy Goranson as Becky Conner on Roseanne, playing the character from Season 6 until the end of the series' run. But most people likely remember Chalke best for playing Elliot Reid on Scrubs, the oddball medical comedy, throughout the 2000s. It's been 12 years since that show went off the air, and Chalke has stayed busy. Read on to learn what her life has been like since and where you can spot her today.
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She's currently starring in a Netflix series.
Chalke picked up tons of roles after Scrubs ended, many of them were guest appearances on shows including Angie Tribeca, Grey's Anatomy, and Cougar Town, among others. Some of the bigger parts she's taken on have been in animated shows, voicing Beth Smith on Rick & Morty, Gina Jabowski on Paradise PD, and Stella on Dogs In Space. Chalke currently stars in the hit Netflix show Firefly Lane alongside Katherine Heigl. The show is about two friends who have known each other since they were teens and now navigate adult life together.
Chalke has said that, as soon as she and Heigl met, they hit it off, so it's easy to go to work every day. She told The Wrap, "There's really not a fake moment, ever. And she's quite disarming. She just makes you feel really comfortable, so we immediately got along. It's always great when there's a scene between actors and it feels natural. Especially with this story, I can't imagine how it would work otherwise, with this 30-year history of [the characters] being best friends. I was snuggled on her shoulder bawling, we're dancing on tables together, and nothing felt forced or rehearsed. I just felt really, really lucky that it all came together like that."
She wants a Scrubs reunion.
Even though she's busy with her Netflix shows and voice roles, Scrubs remains close to Chalke's heart. The cast remain friends. They participated in a reunion panel at Vulture Festival in 2018 and are set to reunite again at ATX Television Festival later this year.
Chalke told Variety in 2021 that she'd love an opportunity to get back together for some kind of revival. "I would be into [a reunion]. I would love to do it," she said. "We've talked about it. I think everybody's lives are so crazy, but we all talk about how cool it'd be to do something like the Psych cast. [A Psych TV movie was released four years after the show went off the air.] I think it'd be so much fun to do something like that."
She's devoted to her dogs.
Chalke told People back in 2009 that her dog, Lola, ran her life. "The second I get out of bed, she starts leaping up and down on me to give her food. And I do," she said. Sadly, Lola died a couple of years later, but the actor continues to foster and rescue dogs in her memory. Chalke's Instagram page is full of photos of the dogs that come in and out of her life.
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Her Grey's Anatomy episode was personal.
Chalke has been engaged to her fiancé Jamie Afifi since 2006. They haven't tied the knot officially, but they do have two kids together: son Charlie, who was born in 2010, and daughter Frankie, who was born in 2016. When he was two, Charlie was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, which affects the blood vessels and must be treated within 10 days of the onset of symptoms. In the Grey's Anatomy episode "Can't Fight This Feeling" from Season 9 of the medical drama, Chalke played a mother seeking a diagnosis for her child who ends up having the same disease. She told TV Line at the time, "We fought really hard to see a specialist, but got the treatment on Day 10-½. It was on the late side, but thank God Charlie is OK. We thought, 'What can we do to help other parents and kids not have to go through what we went through? What about an episode on a medical show?'"
Chalke met with creator Shonda Rhimes and her team, and they agreed it would make for a powerful storyline. "It was definitely a bit scary to tackle," the actor said. "I didn't know what that experience was going to be like, to hold a baby who was made up to look like Charlie did at that time. It was probably the most challenging thing I've done, but it ended up being a really good experience."
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