Mayim Bialik

With Ken Jennings on a rotating basis between August 2021 and December 2023.[2]

Mayim Bialik studied at University of California, Los Angeles and North Hollywood High School. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is neuroscience, acting and Jewish studies. Works named in the authority record are Blossom and The Big Bang Theory. Distinctions recorded are Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Supporting Actress, Jew in the City and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Game Show.

• Name — Mayim Bialik • Birth Name — Mayim Chaya Bialik • Born — 12 December 1975 • Birthplace — San Diego, California, U.S. • Education — University of California, Los Angeles (Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Philosophy) • Occupation — * Actress • author • Years Active — 1987–present • Children — 2 • Website — https: groknation.com/

Mayim Chaya Bialik was born on December 12, 1975, in San Diego, California,[3][4] to Beverly (née Winkleman) and Barry Bialik.[6] Her family were Jewish immigrants who lived in the Bronx, New York City.[9] Three of her four grandparents migrated from Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary. After being raised as a Reform Jew, she described herself as Modern Orthodox Jewish in 2013.[10] Bialik became a bat mitzvah and has called herself a "staunch Zionist".[13] Her name, Mayim ("water" in Hebrew),[14] originates in a family nickname for her great-grandmother, Miriam.[15] The Hebrew-language poet Hayim Nahman Bialik was her great-great-great-granduncle.[16] Bialik graduated in 1993 from North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California.[17] In acknowledgment of her acting commitments, she was granted a deferred acceptance and attended University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[18][19] She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience, with minors in Hebrew and Jewish studies, in 2000.[20] Bialik has said she did not have the grades needed for medical school.[21] She went on to study for a doctorate in neuroscience. She took a break from studies in 2005 to return to acting.[22] She returned to earn her Ph.D. degree in neuroscience from UCLA in 2007.[23] Her dissertation was titled "Hypothalamic regulation in relation to maladaptive, obsessive-compulsive, affiliative and satiety behaviors in Prader–Willi syndrome".[24] Bialik has publicly discussed having obsessive-compulsive disorder, which first became apparent during her childhood.[25][26]

• Illustration — Bialik at the rehearsal for the 1989 Academy Awards Bialik started her career as a child actress in the late 1980s. Her early roles included the 1988 horror film Pumpkinhead (her first acting job)[27] and guest appearances on The Facts of Life (two final-season episodes) and Beauty and the Beast. In 1988 to 1989, she appeared in eight episodes of the sitcom Webster as Frieda, Webster's classmate. It was for Beauty and the Beast, where she played a sewer-dwelling girl named Ellie (with about ten lines of dialogue) that she obtained her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card.[28] Bialik appeared in three episodes of MacGyver as Lisa Woodman. She appeared in Beaches (1988), playing Bette Midler's character as a young girl. Many reviews singled out her performance as a strong point in the film.[29] She appeared in the music video for Michael Jackson's song "Liberian Girl". In 1990, she was tied to two television pilots, Fox's Molloy and NBC's Blossom. Molloy produced six episodes for a tryout run, followed by the shooting of the pilot special for Blossom. The latter aired two weeks before the Fox series and garnered higher ratings. When Molloy folded after its six episodes, Blossom premiered as a mid-season replacement on January 3, 1991, and aired until May 22, 1995.[32] Bialik also made a guest appearance as a fictionalized version of herself in the series Saving Grace.[33] In 2009, Clinton Kelly nominated her for a makeover on TLC's What Not to Wear.

From May 31 to June 11, 2021, Bialik was a guest host of Jeopardy[49]! On August 11, 2021, it was announced that she would host the series' future primetime specials and spinoffs.[50] When executive producer Mike Richards resigned as host after one week, it was announced that Bialik would guest-host the show for three weeks.[52] Her contract was extended to seven weeks; she would then alternate with Ken Jennings for the rest of the calendar year.[53] On December 8, 2021, it was announced that Bialik and Jennings would continue to host the show for the rest of the 2021–22 season.[54] On July 27, 2022, it was announced that Bialik and Jennings would be the show's permanent hosts in a job-sharing arrangement.[55] In May 2023, it was announced that Bialik would temporarily leave Jeopardy! and would not serve as host for the rest of season 39 due to her support of the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Ken Jennings hosted the remainder of season 39 during Bialik's absence.[56] In December 2023, it was announced that she would no longer host the syndicated version of Jeopardy[57]! Despite this, the show was still open to having her host the prime-time specials and spin-offs.[58][59] Bialik teased a potential return to the series in September 2024.[60] Michael Davies, the executive producer of the show, told Rolling Stone in January 2025 that "Mayim, which was absolutely her right, elected not to cross the picket line during the [SAG-AFTRA] strike. And as Ken got more reps, I think he got better and he earned the job."[61][62] Bialik wrote and directed her first film, As They Made Us (2022), about a divorced mom juggling her family's needs and her own quest for love. Dustin Hoffman and Candice Bergen starred as well as Simon Helberg, Bialik's former The Big Bang Theory castmate.[63] The film was expected to premiere in late 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic[103] delayed filming. Ash Christian was attached to the project, but died in August 2020.[64] Principal photography began in June 2021.[65] The film was released on April 8, 2022.[66] In May 2023, Bialik competed as a contestant on an episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune against Vanna White and Ken Jennings.[67] Bialik won $62,200 for Mental Wealth Alliance.[68]

Bialik founded Grok Nation (originally styled "GrokNation") in August 2015 to facilitate conversations among people of different ages and backgrounds about issues. It aimed to engage readers in online conversations that led to offline action, mobilizing them to change the world as a community. To grok means to understand in a profound manner. (The term comes from the 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.) Bialik had written on a similar idea for Jewish Telegraphic Agency–affiliated Jewish parenting site Kveller for five years. She announced and described her new creation on Kveller.[69] Along with former Sassy writer and editor Christina Kelly, Bialik relaunched Grok Nation as a women's lifestyle site in March 2018.[72] The site ceased updates in March 2019, with new content shifting to Bialik's email newsletter.[73]

Bialik identifies as "unapologetically Zionist" and often advocates for Israel on social media.[74] She identifies as a liberal Zionist and has stated that her liberal values do not contradict her Zionism.[75][76] She has stated that she has family who live on a kibbutz as well as family who are religious Zionists and live in Israeli settlements in the West Bank.[77][78] During the 2014 Gaza war, Bialik donated money to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for armored vests.[79] In a 2018 keynote address at the Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, she stated that her support for Israel has led to attacks against her on social media, including calls to boycott her and The Big Bang Theory. After the 2023 October 7 attacks, Bialik posted frequently in support of the IDF and the Israeli hostages.[84] In late 2023, she appeared in several videos with Noa Tishby in which they rejected calls for a ceasefire.[86] PEN America was criticized for co-sponsoring an event hosted by Bialik in January 2024.[87][88] The event was protested by Writers Against the War on Gaza.[89] About 500 authors signed a letter condemning PEN America for removing Randa Jarrar while she was protesting the event.[90] In February 2024, Bialik also posted a video of herself laughing at Dan Ahdoot's comedy routine about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Social media users, including David Ehrlich and David Krumholtz, accused Bialik of trivializing the conflict.[91] Bialik has signed open letters by the pro-Israel group Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), including an October 2023 letter condemning Hamas and calling for the release of hostages taken by Hamas[92] and a 2025 letter condemning a boycott of Israeli film institutions by Film Workers for Palestine.[93][94] In September 2024, Bialik signed an open letter by StopAntisemitism, StandWithUs, End Jew Hatred and 2024 New Voices urging the Biden administration to "protect and support" Israel and secure the release of the hostages.[95][96]

Bialik is a vegan and a founding member of the Shamayim V'Aretz Institute, a Jewish organization that advocates the ethical treatment of animals.[97] She stopped eating meat at age 19, and later became vegan after reading Jonathan Safran Foer's 2009 book, Eating Animals.[99] In 2012, in response to recent safety recalls of salmon and beef products, Bialik appeared in a still-image ad for the animal-rights activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The ad featured Bialik in a 1950s-style house dress and apron, holding a piece of meat over an open trash can. The ad's caption read, "The only way to be sure that meat doesn't poison your family is to throw it out. Protect your families (and animals!) now by choosing vegan." In a promotional interview, Bialik told PETA she felt guilty eating meat earlier in life and did not realize there was another option at the time. She also claimed she had not contracted any sinus infections or needed to take any antibiotics since cutting dairy products out of her diet.[100] In April 2025, Bialik collaborated with PETA to promote vegan alternatives to traditional Passover foods made from or with animal products.[101] In 2017, Bialik announced that she and vegan chef Ali Cruddas had opened Bodhi Bowl,[102] a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles. It closed permanently in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, Bialik wrote a New York Times op-ed in 2017 in which she described the entertainment industry as one "that profits on the exploitation of women... [and] the objectification of women".[104] With regard to protecting herself from sexual harassment, Bialik wrote that she dressed modestly and did not act flirtatiously with men, adding, "In a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. But our world isn't perfect. Nothing—absolutely nothing—excuses men for assaulting or abusing women. But we can't be naïve about the culture we live in." Bialik's article drew backlash from critics who said she was insinuating that modesty and a conservative wardrobe can guard one against sexual assault. Patricia Arquette tweeted, "I have to say I was dressed non-provocatively at 12 walking home from school when men masturbated at me. It's not the clothes."[105] In response, Bialik said she regretted that the piece "became what it became" and participated in a Facebook Live event hosted by The New York Times to answer questions about it.[106]

In a 2009 interview, Bialik said of her family: "We are a non-vaccinating family, but I make no claims about people's individual decisions. We based ours on research and discussions with our pediatrician, and we've been happy with that decision, but obviously there's a lot of controversy about it."[110]

In 2012, Bialik's book, Beyond the Sling, was published, in which she discussed the attachment parenting movement and once again stated that she and her spouse had decided not to vaccinate their children.[111][112] The book was co-edited by pediatrician and anti-vaccine activist Robert Sears.[114] In a May 2012 criticism of the book, Wired columnist Marziah Karch accused Bialik of "freeloading on the system and weakening it at the same time" by relying on herd immunity to protect her children when they had no medical reason to forgo vaccines. Karch also labeled Bialik a "Typhoid Mary" and pointed out that her children's pediatrician was anti-vaccine activist[115] Jay Gordon. Gordon, who wrote the introduction for Beyond the Sling[116][117] and contributed to Bialik's 2014 cookbook,[118] has falsely claimed that vaccines cause autism.[119] In her column, Karch also claimed that anti-vaccine beliefs were common within the attachment parenting movement. In a Kveller column published later in May 2012—which Karch assumed was a response to her own piece[120] —Bialik stated that neither the attachment parenting movement at large nor the nonprofit Attachment Parenting International took any stance regarding the vaccination of children.[121] She also said she would not engage with anyone who brought up the death of a child when criticizing attachment parenting, stating: In her column, Bialik further stated, "And to the vaccine proponents who think I have ever told anyone what to do with their children: I'm not biting," and, "Here's a nibble, though (sigh): Children today get about four times as many vaccines as the average 35-year-old did when we were kids." Bialik ended the piece by saying she relied on the information found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website when researching vaccines, as well as the 2007 edition of The Parents' Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations by Lauren Feder and the 2011 edition of The Vaccine Book by Sears (both anti-vaccine texts[122][123]).

In February 2015, Bialik stated on social media and Kveller that her children had been vaccinated and she was not anti-vaccine. She implied she was motivated to "clea[r] things up" by the "anger" and "hysteria" surrounding her previous public statements.[124] The following day, Bialik added: In October 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Bialik said that though she had not received a vaccination in 30 years, she planned to be vaccinated against both the flu and the SARS-CoV-2 virus and that, "As of today, my children may not have had every one of the vaccinations that your children have, but my children are vaccinated."[127] Bialik also stated, “Now, do I think we give way too many vaccines in this country compared to when I was a vaccinated child? Yes,” and said she believed there was a "tremendous profit" being made from the sale of vaccines.[128] When Bialik was chosen to guest-host Jeopardy! in 2021, her prior statements regarding vaccines, attachment parenting, and the Weinstein scandal (as well as her endorsement of the controversial nutritional supplement Neuriva) were widely discussed and debated by mainstream journalists and social-media users.[129][130] In April 2022, Bialik said her children were unvaccinated when Beyond the Sling was published, but had since been vaccinated according to a "delayed" vaccination schedule.[134]

In 2014, Bialik was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree from Boston University.[135] In June 2017, she sprained her vocal cords and was ordered by her ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist to avoid speaking for a month.[137][138]

Bialik married Michael Stone on August 31, 2003; they had a Victorian-themed ceremony that included traditional Jewish wedding customs.[139] Stone, who was raised Mormon, but left the church as an adolescent, converted to Judaism to marry Bialik.[140] They have two sons together.[141] Bialik returned to television in 2010, as opposed to continuing her scientific career, so she could spend more time with her children. Bialik and Stone announced their divorce in November 2012,[142] and it was finalized six months later.[143]

In a 2012 interview, Bialik labeled herself "aspiring Modern Orthodox". She has also appeared in several YouTube cameos as Blossom and Amy Farrah Fowler, asking questions about Jewish beliefs.[144] The videos are produced by Allison Josephs, Bialik's Judaism study partner, whom she met with the help of Partners in Torah.[145] Bialik is a frequent contributor to the Jewish parenting website Kveller.[146] In an October 2011 Kveller column, Bialik discussed having to work on the set of The Big Bang Theory during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and how she adhered to halakha (Jewish religious law) as closely as possible while doing so. Bialik said she hired a non-Jewish driver to take her to set (as she was forbidden from driving a car, but not riding in it), abstained from using her phone and laptop, and dressed in fancy "shul" clothing she would normally wear to observe religious holidays or attend religious services. Bialik said that she one day hoped to be able to avoid filming on any Jewish holiday and described herself as a "Jew in exile" and "a happily employed actress."[147] She also stated: In a March 2010 interview, Bialik said she had both her sons circumcised in traditional Jewish ceremonies, despite the practice being largely rejected within the West Coast-based "holistic and green" parenting circles of which she was a part.[148] In a May 2012 Kveller column responding to various unnamed critics, Bialik said that anti-circumcision activists had accused her of "worshiping a false god" and "mutilating and psychologically scarring [her] sons beyond repair".

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1987 — Beauty and the Beast — Ellie — Episode: "No Way Down" • 1988 — The — Jennifer Cole — Episodes: "The Beginning of the End" and "The Beginning of the Beginning" • 1988–1989 — Webster — Frieda — Recurring role (Season 6) • 1989–1990 — Empty Nest — Laurie Kincaid — Episodes: "The R.N. Who Came to Dinner" and "Harry Knows Best" • 1989–1990 — MacGyver — Lisa Woodman — Recurring role (Season 5 and Season 6) • 1990 — Doogie Howser, M.D. — Candace — Episode: "Ask Dr. Doogie" • 1990 — Molloy — Molloy Martin — Lead role • 1990 — Murphy Brown — Natalie — Episode: "I Want My FYI" • 1990 — The Earth Day Special — Herself — Television special • 1990–1995 — Blossom — Blossom Russo — Lead role • 1991 — Sea World's Mother Earth Celebration — Herself — Television special • 1992 — Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? — Herself — Guest role • 1993 — The Hidden Room — Jillie — Episode: "Jillie" • 1994 — Don't Drink the Water — Susan Hollander — Television film • 1994–1995 — The — Rachel — Episodes: "The Book of Rachel", "Rachel and Ton" and "Rachel Redux" • 1995–1996 — The — Brittany Bright — Voice; Main role • 1996, 1999 — Hey Arnold! — Maria — Voice; Episodes: "6th Grade Girls" and "Phoebe Skips" • 1996 — Aaahh!!! Real Monsters — Cindy — Voice; Episode: "Things That Go Bump in the Night" • 1996 — The — Lucy / Julia — Voice; Episodes: "Assault on Questworld" and "The Alchemist" • 1997, 2000 — Recess — Kirsten Kurst — Voice; 5 episodes • 1997 — Johnny Bravo — Tour Guide — Voice; Episode: "Going Batty" • 1997 — Extreme Ghostbusters — Girl in Future — Voice; Episode: "Ghost Apocalyptic Future" • 1998 — Welcome to Paradox — Rita — Episode: "Alien Jane" • 2001–2002 — Lloyd in Space — Mean Cindy — Voice; Recurring role (Season 1–2) • 2003 — 7th Heaven — Cathy — Episode: "Dick" • 2004 — Kim Possible — Justine Flanner — Voice; Episode: "Partners" • 2005 — Katbot — Paula — Voice; Recurring role • 2005 — Fat Actress — Herself — Episode: "The Koi Effect" and "Holy Lesbo Batman" • 2005, 2007 — Curb Your Enthusiasm — Jodi Funkhouser — Episodes: "The Bowtie", "The Ida Funkhouser Roadside Memorial" and "The TiVo Guy" • 2009 — What Not to Wear — Herself — Episode: "Mayim" • 2009 — Saving Grace — Esther — Episode: "Mooooooooo" • 2009 — Bones — Genie Gormon — Episode: "The Cinderella in the Cardboard" • 2009 — Til Death — Herself — Episodes: "The Break-Up", "Merit Play" and "Baby Steps" • 2010 — The Secret Life of the American Teenager — Dr. Wilameena Bink — Recurring role (Season 2–3) • 2010 — Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? — Herself / Expert — Season 8 • 2010–2019 — The — Amy Farrah Fowler — Guest role (Season 3) Main role (Season 4–Season 12) • 2011 — The Dog Who Saved Halloween — Medusa — Voice; television film • 2012 — Survivor: One World[150] — Herself/Attendant — Reality; Episode: "Reunion" • 2014 — Candid Camera — Host — Season 38 • 2014 — Stan Lee's Mighty 7 — Lady Lightning — Voice; Television film • 2015 — Blaze and the Monster Machines — Great Sphinx — Voice; Episode: "Race to the Top of the World" • 2015 — The Flight Before Christmas — Stephanie Michelle Hunt — Television film; also producer • 2016 — Star vs. the Forces of Evil — Willoughby — Voice; Episode: "Fetch" • 2017 — MasterChef Junior — Guest judge — Episode: "Batter Hurry Up" • 2017 — Rhett & Link's Buddy System — Glenda — Episode: "To Kill a Robot" • 2017 — Drop the Mic — Herself — Episode: "Mayim Bialik vs. Kunal Nayyar / Ashley Tisdale vs. Nick Lachey" • 2020 — Celebrity Show-Off — Herself — Host • 2020 — Lego Masters — Herself — Episode: "Space Smash" • 2020 — Match Game — Herself — Celebrity panel • 2020 — Vampirina — Dr. Gem Jeodopolis — Voice; Episode: "Fang Ten!/Science Rocks" • 2020–2024 — Young Sheldon — Amy Farrah Fowler — 3 episodes (voice only in 2 episodes, live-action in "Memoir") • 2021–2023 — Call Me Kat — Kat — Main role; also executive producer • 2021–2023 — Jeopardy! — Herself — Host, 10 episodes syndicated (season 37), 115 episodes syndicated (season 38), 9 episodes ABC (season 38)[151] • 2022–2023 — Celebrity Jeopardy! — Herself — Host (season 1) • 2023 — Celebrity Wheel of Fortune — Self – Celebrity Contestant — Episode: "Vanna White, Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik" • 2023 — The Tiny Chef Show — Herself — Episode: "Tiny Chef's Marvelous Mish Mesh Special" • 2025 — Night Court — Herself — Episode: "Mayim Worst Enemy" • 2026 — Stuart Fails to Save the Universe — alternate Amy Farrah Fowler

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2013 — Untitled Web Series About a Space Traveler Who Can Also Travel Through Time — B.O.O.T.H. — Voice; Episode: "Second Season Prequel" • 2016 — Yidlife Crisis — Chaya — Episode: "The Double Date" • 2017 — Rhett and Link's Buddy System — Pathologist • 2017–2018 — Good Mythical Morning — Herself — Episodes: "What's On My Head?", "3 Monkeys Blindfold" and "Dissecting A Frog" • 2018 — The Super Slow Show — Herself — Episode: "Slow Learners"

• Year — Title — Voice role — Notes • 2003 — X2: Wolverine's Revenge — Bush Pilot / May Deuce • 2020 — Borderlands 3 — Herself

• Year — Title — Genre — Ref. • 2021–present — Mayim Bialik's Breakdown — Focuses on mental health[152]

* * • Bialik, Mayim (2017) Girling Up: How to be Strong, Smart and Spectacular. Philomel Books.[155]. • Bialik, Mayim (2018) Boying Up: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant. Philomel Books.[156]. • Bialik, Mayim (2021) Flash Facts. DC Comics.[157].

* *

Mayim Bialik was recorded at birth as Mayim Chaya Bialik. The authorities additionally record the headings Mayim Chaya Bialik, Mayim C. Bialik, Mayim C Bialik, M. Bialik and M C Bialik. Her recorded language was English. Her recorded confession was Modern Orthodox Judaism.

Mayim Bialik is recorded as having studied at University of California, Los Angeles and North Hollywood High School.