{"id":1166,"date":"2025-04-23T19:37:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:37:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/?p=1166"},"modified":"2025-04-23T19:37:54","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T16:37:54","slug":"big-bang-theorys-melissa-rauch-from-childhood-to-night-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/23\/big-bang-theorys-melissa-rauch-from-childhood-to-night-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Bang Theory\u2019s Melissa Rauch: From Childhood to Night Court"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>When Melissa Rauch first showed up in \u201cThe Bang Bang Theory\u201d as Howard\u2019s blind date, Bernadette, in 2009, nobody was sure she would have a recurring role. The two didn\u2019t have much chemistry with each other, and Howard wasn\u2019t exactly charming. But as soon as viewers saw the two characters bond over their meddling mothers, the spark was obvious, and Rauch was ensured a permanent role on \u201cThe Big Bang Theory.\u201d\n\n\n\n</p><p>Despite Howard\u2019s socially awkward habits, he was clearly made for Bernadette, whom he would ultimately marry in Season 5. Rauch told Backstage that she was ever-grateful for the direction that \u201cBig Bang\u201d went in, as she was originally intended to be a one-time guest star.&nbsp;\n\n\n\n</p><p>From a young age, Rauch had a deep love for comedy. This passion led her to develop characters like Bernadette, who would take her on a journey she could never have imagined.&nbsp;\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'><br>She\u2019s from New Jersey\n\n\n\n</h2><p>A New Jersey native, Melissa Rauch wasn\u2019t always surrounded by Hollywood glamour. Raised in the \u2018burbs of Jersey,\u2019 her New Yorker parents migrated to the nearby state to raise their children. They moved to Marlboro Township, which is where Melissa Rauch\u2019s upbringing occurred and where she discovered her passion for making people laugh.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/1-16.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117071\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>She was a class clown in school\n\n\n\n</h2><p>As a child, Rauch always imitated what she saw on-screen, mimicking celebs like Whoopi Goldberg and Don Knotts. The actress used this tactic to get over her natural shyness, but it sometimes got her in trouble. At the age of 7, Rauch would often memorize stand-up sets that were inappropriate and far beyond her years. One day in class, she memorized a Whoopi Goldberg HBO special filled with the F word, and her teacher called her mother, shocked that the child wouldn\u2019t talk but performed this bizarre standup performance filled with swearing.&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/2-2.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117072\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Her bat mitzvah was comedy club-themed\n\n\n\n</h2><p>As Melissa Rauch started growing up, so did her passion for comedy. In her free time, she participated in community theater, went to theater camp, and did shows in her basement with her brother. As a teen, her bat mitzvah even had a comedy club theme! It\u2019s obvious that Rauch always wanted to be an actress, and she eventually started going to acting auditions in New York, finally losing her Jersey accent while studying acting at Marymount Manhattan.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/3-17.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117073\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<!--nextpage-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>She met her future husband in college\n\n\n\n</h2><p>While attending Marymount Manhattan College, Rauch met Winston Beigel, who was once her writing partner at school. He helped her write a one-woman show called \u201cThe Miseducation of Jenna Bush,\u201d and after they performed it at the New York Fringe Festival, the two moved west to California. They married in 2007 and have been in Los Angeles ever since.&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/4-13.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117075\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>It all started with stand-up comedy\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Rauch began performing her written material at stand-up shows in New York City clubs. She did so for around a decade and hustled by handing out fliers on the street to get people to attend. Despite an emerging stand-up career, she felt that her professional career wasn\u2019t moving forward as she hoped it would, and she still waited for a big break.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/5-1024x683.jpeg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117076\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>A TV role that didn\u2019t last\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Before \u201cBig Bang,\u201d the NBC sitcom \u201cKath and Kim,\u201d starring Selma Blair and Molly Shannon, was where Rauch got her first role as a series regular. She played the role of Kim\u2019s BFF, who was always down for wild shenanigans. Although it was her first regular role, terrible ratings and reviews led the series to be canceled after just 17 episodes.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/6-13.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117078\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>A breakout role on \u201cBig Bang\u201d\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Only months after \u201cKim and Kath\u201d was canned, Rauch debuted in Season 3 of \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d as Bernadette, a friend of Penny, who was played by Kaley Cuoco. The impact it made on Rauch\u2019s career was immediate, and she might not have had the part at all if it weren\u2019t for a wardrobe change at the last minute. To set herself apart from the other women auditioning, she wore glasses as her own twist on Bernadette, and producers ended up keeping them a permanent part of her look.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/7-11-1024x517.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117079\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>She became a staunch advocate for equal pay\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Although Rauch started on Season 3 of \u201cThe Big Bang Theory,\u201d she stayed with them through all nine seasons. Over time, Bernadette became even more integral to the series, and she eventually married Howard and became a mom. During this time, Rauch fought for the rest of the cast to receive equal pay in 2017, when talks of contract renewals were in the air. Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik wanted raises as they only earned $175,000 per episode compared to their male co-stars\u2019 $1 million. Eventually, they convinced their bosses to triple the per-episode pay, and their co-stars took a voluntary pay cut to help out.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/8-1024x576.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117080\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<!--nextpage-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>She became a sex symbol\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Besides giving her lots of other film and TV opportunities, like appearing in \u201cThe Office\u201d and \u201cTrue Blood,\u201d it also had a surprising side effect: making her a TV sex symbol. In 2013, she did a sensual photoshoot for Maxim Magazine. While fans were used to seeing her in modest sweaters, dresses, and blouses on \u201cTBBT,\u201d they were shocked to see her decked out in a barely-there look in a Bondage-inspired shoot. She posted about a similar boundary-breaking shoot in FHM magazine.\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/9.png%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117081\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>She became a mother and author\n\n\n\n</h2><p>In 2017, Rauch welcomed her first child, which inspired her to become a children\u2019s book author. In 2019, she released \u201cThe Tales of Tofu,\u201d a story about a cube of tofu hiding in the background who gains confidence and makes friends by becoming the main character of a school play while sharing tofu recipes for families to cook together.&nbsp;\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/10-13-683x1024.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117083\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'><br>She competed in \u201cCelebrity Jeopardy\u201d&nbsp;\n\n\n\n</h2><p>When her colleague Mayim Bialik got a gig as the full-time host on \u201cCelebrity Jeopardy,\u201d Rauch competed as a contestant and appeared with Ray Romano, the star of \u201cEverybody Loves Raymond,\u201d and actor and writer-producer Joel Kim Booster. She raised $30,000 for her charity, Oscar\u2019s Kids, and had a great time in the process!\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/11-11-1024x571.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117084\"\/'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Finally having her moment in \u201cNight Court\u201d\n\n\n\n</h2><p>After \u201cThe Big Bang Theory\u201d ended in 2019, Rauch took time to figure out what she wanted and landed on her project \u201cNight Court\u201d in 2023, which she stars front and center in. A remake of the 1980s \u201cNight Court,\u201d Rauch finally had her chance to shine as the lead character of a show, playing Judge Abby Stone. The show, which currently has two seasons, received strong positive reviews, as did Rauch\u2019s charming appearance. We can\u2019t wait to see what\u2019s next for this leading lady!\n\n\n\n<figure class='\"wp-block-image\"'><img decoding='\"async\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/img-cdn.brainberries.co%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/04%5C/12.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-117085\"\/'>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Melissa Rauch first showed up in \u201cThe Bang Bang Theory\u201d as Howard\u2019s blind date, Bernadette, in 2009, nobody was sure she would have a recurring role. The two didn\u2019t have much chemistry with each other, and Howard wasn\u2019t exactly charming. But as soon as viewers saw the two characters bond over their meddling mothers, [&hellip;]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1166"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1168,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1166\/revisions\/1168"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbdigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p></figure></p>