Who Is Melissa Rauch's Husband, Winston Rauch?
"The Big Bang Theory" wrapped several years ago, but for many fans of the show, Melissa Rauch will forever be the Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz to Simon Helberg's Howard Wolowitz. However, in real life, the "Big Bang" actor has been with her husband, Winston Rauch, for close to two decades.
Melissa touched briefly on her relationship with Winston in a 2014 interview with New Jersey Monthly, "I am very fortunate that I met my husband in college. He is my best friend and the love of my life," she swooned. The actor didn't go into detail as to when exactly they became an item, Bio (via Internet Archive Wayback Machine) reports that she graduated college in 2002. So, regardless of when they actually started dating, they've been in each other's lives for more than 20 years now — and Melissa couldn't be happier about it. Well, kind of. In the same interview with New Jersey Monthly, she shared, "The only thing I regret is not meeting him sooner, as my life has just gotten better since he came into it." How sweet is that!
Per Wonderwall, Melissa and Winston made it official in 2007. And, in a sweet gesture, at some point after tying the knot, Winston (born Winston Beigel) took her last name (via IMDb). All signs point to these two lovebirds being as smitten as can be, then ... but we can't help but wonder: what more do we know about Winston Rauch?
He frequently works with his wife
If one were to think of Melissa Rauch's co-workers, it goes without saying that Kaley Cuoco, Mayim Bialik, Jim Parsons, and the rest of "The Big Bang Theory" cast would spring to mind. But in fact, one of her most frequent collaborators is her husband, Winston Rauch. In fact, speaking to Roger Ebert back in 2016, Melissa revealed that before they'd started dating, "We started as writing partners."
In the same interview, Melissa explained that comedy had been one of the things that drew them to each other. "We decided that we should write some sketches together because we have a very similar sensibility and our favorite thing to do is make each other laugh," she said. The "Big Bang Theory" alum added that their working together in a tiny apartment, so early on had also paved the way for a pretty strong relationship. As she joked with the outlet, "That was a great training ground ... If we could figure out a script together in these close quarters and not kill each other, then we're golden."
So, just what have these co-writers-turned-lovebirds written that fans might have seen? Most recently, Winston has served as one of the executive producers for Melissa's newest sitcom, the 2023 reboot of "Night Court," per IMDb. Before that, they were co-writers on 2015's R-rated sports comedy "The Bronze," which starred Melissa alongside Gary Cole and Sebastian Stan.
... and he's not afraid to see his wife in raunchy scenes
Speaking of "The Bronze," it would be remiss to mention the couple's R-rated comedy film about a has-been gymnast without noting the scene that, per IndieWire, had everyone at The Sundance Film Festival both in shock and in stitches. That would be the sex scene between Melissa Rauch and Sebastian Stan's characters, which in an interview with Vulture, Melissa herself referred to as, "'The most crazy epic gymnastic sex scene ever' ... A porno script, essentially."
In a post-screening Q&A session at Sundance, both Melissa and Winston Rauch joked about writing it together, with Winston quipping, "You write what you know," via Variety. Melissa has since gone on to talk about just how invested he was in making sure the scene was as outrageous and hilarious (yet believable) as possible, for two gymnasts. In her interview with Vulture, she joked, "Winston was so game throughout ... Anything for the sake of the movie! He would even be like, 'I think we should do another take of that.'"
Winston Rauch may spend more time behind the scenes than his famous wife, but it's pretty clear that when it comes to making each other — and audiences — laugh, they've got it down to a fine art. That's just as well. After all, Melissa did tell Roger Ebert that comedy was the cornerstone of their relationship. Here's hoping these two keep laughing together for years to come.