Why Mayim Bialik Refused To Watch The Big Bang Theory

Not all actors enjoy watching themselves on-screen — Adam Driver famously walked out of an interview with NPR's Terry Gross when she played a clip of one of his scenes from "Marriage Story," to present the most extreme example. Apparently, Mayim Bialik also hates watching her own performances, and that includes her nine-season run on the hit CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory."

Bialik talked to The Metro UK in June 2020 — roughly one year after "The Big Bang Theory" concluded after 12 seasons — about her career and made a surprising admission: she's watched very little of the show that revived her career. "I've never seen most of the episodes," Bialik revealed. "I don't watch myself on television. I've never sat and watched an episode of our show, ever."

Obviously, Bialik isn't being entirely literal here; during the filming process, she ended up watching scenes that featured her. What the actress meant is that she doesn't seek out episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" in her spare time. "I've seen snippets on stage when they would show them to the audience but no, I don't watch myself," she continued. "I saw pieces [of the last episode] but I was in it, you know?"

It's pretty funny that Mayim Bialik actively avoids the episodes of "The Big Bang Theory" that feature her because frankly, Amy Farrah Fowler is a pretty huge character after she first appears in season 3. Desperate to try and find a partner for their buddy Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar) and Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) make a dating profile for Sheldon, at which point he matches with Amy. Luckily for both Amy and Sheldon, they both hate the idea of dating and only meet up to appease their loved ones; against all odds, they realize how similar they are and form a real connection.

Bialik became a series regular during season 4 of "The Big Bang Theory" and shows up pretty much all the time from that point on as her relationship with Sheldon blossoms and she befriends some of the other characters. (She often refers to Kaley Cuoco's Penny as her "best friend," though that might not be reciprocated by Penny). In the end, Sheldon and Amy get their happy ending. Despite Sheldon's overall aversion to physical intimacy, he lets himself be vulnerable with Amy, and the two get married in the season 11 finale — but in the series finale, they achieve something even bigger, winning a Nobel Prize for their shared work on super asymmetry.

"The Big Bang Theory" ended in 2019 with the season 12 finale "The Stockholm Syndrome" — which Mayim Bialik says she watched "pieces" of, at least — and Bialik got her own show soon after, though it turned out to be somewhat short-lived. "Call Me Kat," based on the popular British comedy "Miranda" (starring Miranda Hart), featured Bialik in the leading role as cat cafe proprietor Kat alongside Cheyenne Jackson, Swoosie Kurtz, and Kyla Pratt; unfortunately, it was canceled in May 2023 after three seasons. ("Call Me Kat" featured some "Big Bang Theory" veterans behind the camera as well — Jim Parsons and "Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre served as two of its producers, as did Bialik). 

In 2021, Bialik started hosting "Jeopardy!" after the passing of Alex Trebek meant the legendary game show was missing a host — and ultimately, Bialik ended up sharing the hosting duties with Ken Jennings, a well-known "Jeopardy!" champion who became friends with Trebek after his initial run on the show. In 2023, during the joint WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, Bialik declined to appear on "Jeopardy!" and stood with writers on the picket line. However, in December of that year, it was announced that she would no longer host and that Jennings would go forward on his own, with many pointing to her numerous controversies as the reasoning. Bialik now hosts her own podcast, "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown," which focuses on mental health, and all of "The Big Bang Theory" is streaming on Max. (She won't be watching it, though.)