The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik first made a splash when she was cast as the childhood version of Bette Midler's character in the tearjerker "Beaches." The youngster's charisma was off the charts and led to the leading role on "Blossom." Viewers fell in love with her all over again, and the show ran for five seasons. 

Even though she was a famous child actor who starred in a hit TV series, Bialik spent those years plagued by feelings that she didn't fit in. "I don't know if I felt normal growing up," she told Yahoo! Entertainment. However, the star clarified that those feelings had less to do with being a kid actor than her experience as the child of first-generation Jewish immigrants, whose grandparents had come to America from various countries in Eastern Europe, and all lived together in a tightly knit community in the Bronx. As Bialik recalled, when she wasn't on a Hollywood soundstage, she was in an environment where English was rarely spoken, with different holidays celebrated than the ones honored by most Americans. "So nothing felt normal for me," she said. "I always felt different."

While it would be easy to assume that becoming a sitcom star would diminish those feelings, Bialik found that it actually exacerbated them. "Being on television definitely ... made me feel like more of an outsider," she said. "Being in the public eye is definitely abnormal."

While it would be easy to assume that Mayim Bialik walked away from five seasons of "Blossom" with a bulging bank account, that simply wasn't the case. "People in the era that we were on television did not make the kind of money that people make now," she explained during an episode of her "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" podcast. 

In fact, she said, at that time television salaries in general were lower — but even more so when it came to a female minor in a sitcom that performed reasonably well but was never a critical darling or ratings blockbuster. "When I went to college, I was not an independently wealthy, I-never-have-to-work-again person," Bialik explained. In fact, she struggled to make enough money to put herself through school, experiencing the kind of financial constraints one wouldn't expect for a television star. "I tutored, I did all the things that people do to make ends meet. I budgeted," the former child star explained. "... We did not make the kind of money that set us up for the entire universe."

Bialik elaborated during an appearance on Jaleel White's "Ever Actor" podcast. "I think what's important for people to realize is ... I did not have the kind of financial success that would've set me up for the rest of my life. Also, our show was never put into syndication," she said, confirming that her modest "Blossom" salary earned her less than six figures a year.

In 2003, Mayim Bialik married Michael Stone. The couple went on to have two sons together. Sadly, the marriage wasn't destined to be a long-lasting one. By late 2012, their relationship had run its course; writing in a blog post for her Kveller website, Bialik announced that she and Stone, after much soul searching, had decided it was time to go their separate ways. "Divorce is terribly sad, painful, and incomprehensible for children," she wrote. "It is not something we have decided lightly." Their main priority, the star explained, was to ensure a smooth transition for their kids into their new living situation, which would mean shuttling back and forth between Bialik's and Stone's respective homes while the two exes shared co-parenting duties. "We will be [okay]," she added.

A few weeks after making the announcement, Bialik opened up about how her new normal was progressing. "It's going okay," she told Us Weekly, crediting Stone for joining her in putting their kids first and foremost in the equation. "It's not easy," the actor added, "but we're doing okay, so thank God."

Several years later, the system they'd put in place appeared to be working out for both ex-spouses and their children. "I'm so incredibly grateful, not only for my ex-husband, but for all of the work that we've put in to be able to have the kind of conversations we have to have," Bialik told Us Weekly in 2020.

As previously mentioned — and as fans of Mayim Bialik well know — after the end of "Blossom," she went on to earn a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA. Meanwhile, she never truly exited Hollywood, maintaining a steady roster of screen roles — mainly TV guest spots — throughout the 2000s. In 2010, one of those guest-starring roles propelled her to the biggest showbiz success she'd ever experienced when she was cast as Amy Farrah Fowler, love interest and eventual spouse of Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), on "The Big Bang Theory."

While she eventually became a series regular on the mega-hit sitcom, that was the furthest thing from Bialik's mind when she auditioned. During an appearance on the Canadian talk show "The Social" (as reported by the Independent), the actor revealed that her health insurance was about to run out, but felt she'd qualify for SAG-AFTRA union health insurance if she could nab enough acting roles. "And I figured if I can just get even a couple jobs like here or there, I'll be able to get insurance again," she recalled.

While "The Big Bang Theory" wound up becoming her most successful project, her experience on the show nevertheless proved to be nerve-racking for her. "With acting stuff, my level of anxiety surrounding performing is very, very high," Bialik explained during an episode of "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," describing how she'd feel a knot in her throat if she felt she wasn't doing a scene just right.

Mayim Bialik has been no stranger to controversy, and she's frequently been attacked online. She referenced that in a 2017 Facebook post. "my life right now: people hate me because i am a Jew and a Zionist," she wrote. "other people hate me because of my solidarity with Muslims. seems that mostly white heterosexual non-Jewish males hate me most. interesting."

Of course, she's also been the target of online abuse due to incendiary statements she's made. One of these came in her 2012 book "Beyond the Sling," in which she wrote about why she and her then-husband refused to have their children vaccinated. After being pilloried on social media when the topic resurfaced eight years later, Bialik posted a lengthy YouTube video clarifying her stance.

Bialik also took heat on social media for an essay she wrote for The New York Times in the wake of multiple sexual assault allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, noting that her "nontraditional" looks allowed her to avoid Weinstein-like scenarios of sexual predation. She was quickly hit with backlash for seemingly blaming the victim, implying that a woman's assault was caused by her beauty. Bialik responded via tweet, writing in part, "I also see a bunch of people have taken my words out of the context of the Hollywood machine and twisted them to imply that God forbid I would blame a woman for her assault based on her clothing or behavior. Anyone who knows me and my feminism knows that's absurd."

In 2021, Mayim Bialik made another announcement regarding her mental health. During a discussion with author Glennon Doyle on her "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" podcast, she declared, "I publicly identify as someone with an eating disorder."

Also in the video, Bialik said, "I eat too much when no one's looking," and then admitted, "I'm eating so I don't have to feel anything." According to the actor, "This is the first time I've ever talked about it, because people are like, 'Well, why are you so overweight?' Well, because I'm a compulsive overeater, in addition to being an anorexic and restricter." She also revealed that she'd undergone treatment for her eating disorders and had been in recovery for about two years at that point.

In a subsequent interview with People, Bialik explained that she hadn't actually planned on going public with her eating disorder but decided to open up due to Doyle's personal revelations about her own similar struggles. "There's no quick fix for brain health. There just isn't," she said of why she felt it was important to discuss her struggles publicly. "We have to do ongoing things that support overall brain health."

While "Call Me Kat" following "The Big Bang Theory" was sort of like a comeback upon a comeback for Mayim Bialik, her career took an even more unexpected turn in late 2021, when she and Ken Jennings were announced as permanent hosts of "Jeopardy!" The two alternated the role most famously held by the late Alex Trebek — until December 2023, when Bialik revealed that she'd been fired. "Sony has informed me that I will no longer be hosting the syndicated version of 'Jeopardy!'" she stated in part via Instagram. Sony Television confirmed that she'd been shown the door, issuing a statement reading, "We made the decision to have one host for the syndicated show next season to maintain continuity for our viewers."

Could there be more to the decision than "continuity," though? The day before she announced her firing, Bialik shared a very different Instagram post, in which she and author Noa Tishby played a controversial game of "You Might Be an Antisemite If," declaring certain opinions about the Israel-Hamas conflict to be antisemitic. While she received numerous comments of support, the actor was also hit with backlash from those with opposing views.

While neither Sony nor Bialik has confirmed nor denied that video had anything to do with her firing, there's no denying that the timing was curious. However, Sony's Instagram statement was likewise hit with comments, claiming the studio's decision itself was steeped in antisemitism.

If you or anyone you know needs help with mental health, is struggling with an eating disorder, or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

• The National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

• The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).