What Mayim Bialik From The Big Bang Theory Is Doing Now
Mayim Bialik earned plenty of coveted entertainment industry accolades, as well as countless devoted fans and an impressively large fortune thanks to her role as the brilliant (if quirky) neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on CBS' The Big Bang Theory. But after a run that lasted for over a decade, the series aired its finale in May 2019, leaving its stars free to pursue other activities, passions, and opportunities. And that includes Bialik, who has certainly been keeping herself busy since wrapping up her last scene. "It is very, very emotional," she admitted to USA Today that February. "But also, it's the start of a new chapter of all of our lives, which is also exciting."
Thankfully, Bialik has a perspective on her life's path that seems to give her a sense of assurance. "I don't want to say everything happens for a reason, but every day is lined up right next to the other one for a reason," the actress previously told People. "The best you can do is do each day well with kindness and as a good person." That definitely seems like a reasonable and optimistic way to face the future, whether she's dealing with a personal situation or a professional project.
The success of her choices will certainly be evident when you find out what Mayim Bialik from The Big Bang Theory is doing now.
Mayim Bialik's looking back at the past
It didn't take long for Mayim Bialik to start missing her Big Bang Theory co-stars after the show ended. That's perhaps why she's continued to use social media to share sentiments that suggest it wasn't easy for her to say goodbye to the likes of Kaley Cuoco (who played Penny) and Melissa Rauch (a.k.a. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz), who can be seen with Bialik in an on-set image taken on Amy Farrah Fowler's wedding day.
Bialik has also reminisced about her early TBBT days with picture of herself and Jim Parsons (who you might know as Sheldon Cooper). "I'm pretty sure this was the first Comic Con after I was made a regular on the show," the star captioned the shot. "I was still just getting to know the cast ... Jim and I had done a few photoshoots together, but I was still finding my footing as a cast member." She added, "Really good memories."
But that's not the only series that's bringing Bialik fond memories these days. In late September 2019, she took to Twitter to post a gif of herself dancing during the opening credits of Blossom, a show she starred on as a young actress in the early '90s. Bialik noted, "I do have some serious moves!" No argument there.
This Big Bang Theory star is still performing
Mayim Bialik's time on The Big Bang Theory may be over, but she's not done with her work on camera. Along with popping up on the Crossword Show in August 2019 and Match Game that same month, she's also the voice of "The B.O.O.T.H." (a sentient time machine) in The Inspector Chronicles, a tale about an immortal time traveler voiced by Travis Richey. But these aren't the only projects that have been filling up the star's schedule.
"Well, friends ... my friend and co-star, [Jim Parsons], and I are working together again!!!" Bialik captioned an Instagram snap of herself with her former TBBT husband. "He and I are joining to executive produce a show for me to star in based on the BBC show Miranda. It's called Carla ... We could not be more excited to work together and bring you this show which features SO MANY CATS!!!!"
According to Deadline, the comedy focuses on "a 39-year-old woman who struggles every day against society and her mother to prove that you CANNOT have everything you want — and still be happy. Which is why she spent the money her parents set aside for her wedding to open a Cat Café in Louisville, KY." That sounds like it will be purr-fectly entertaining.
Mayim Bialik's broadening her Hollywood horizons
Although Mayim Bialik could spend her entire career starring in television shows and consider herself an undeniable success — or, frankly, retire and live comfortably for the rest of her days — she's decided to branch out when it comes to her role in the entertainment industry. Set to write and direct a movie, the actress chose a comedy-drama for her debut called As Sick As They Made Us, which is based on her own personal experiences.
The film tells the story of a divorced mother who must deal with a difficult situation when her estranged brother returns as their father passes away, and the family struggles with their relationships, as well as life-altering issues. "Growing up surrounded by mental illness is not something that is easy to write about, nor is it easy to live through," Bialik said while discussing the nature of the sensitive project in September 2019, according to Deadline. "The challenges ripple out into the lives of children immersed in these families even as they try to make their own lives apart from the challenges they grew up with."
Bialik added, "After my father's passing four and a half years ago, I decided to explore the complexity of mental illness and familial responsibility — especially as it falls on women — as well as to highlight the redemptive nature of a family's love as they navigate death and continue to live life on their own terms."
She's signed a major deal for her production company
With acting, writing, and directing under her belt, Mayim Bialik is also making major moves on the production side of the business. In August 2019, it was announced that she'd signed a "multi-faceted deal" with Warner Bros. TV Group involving her production company, Sad Clown Productions, which includes a few other potentially lucrative perks, such as acting opportunities that could lead to a new show starring the popular actress. "WB has been my creative home for over a decade," Bialik told Deadline at the time. "And I'm thrilled to be continuing my relationship with them as I develop projects as an actor and a producer."
Bialik also named Mackenzie Gabriel-Vaught as Head of Development and Production in her company — a wise choice considering the two industry players are very familiar with how the other operates behind the scenes. Bialik explained, "After working with Mackenzie during my entire time at The Big Bang Theory, I have grown to respect and value her humor, candor, intelligence, and professionalism. There's no one else I would rather start this new phase of my career with than Mackenzie and I can't wait to start showing what we can do together!"
If the result of these two working together in the future is anything like their past success with The Big Bang Theory, then fans will certainly adore whatever they bring to the screen.
Mayim Bialik's also a Youtuber
Is there anything Mayim Bialik can't do? This TV star is also a popular YouTube personality. She first launched her self-titled channel in September 2015 with a video filling her followers in on what it's like to attend the Emmys. The Youtuber has since posted videos like "A Love Letter to Young Women of Today," in which she shares her thoughts on how wonderful she thinks modern ladies are.
Bialik also seemed to know even back in 2016 that the YouTube channel would help her fans deal with times when they weren't able to watch The Big Bang Theory. "Missing TBBT? Or just missing me?" she wrote in the description of her first vlog entry. "Well, to help fill the big bang sized hole in your heart, I am officially premiering my first Vlog entry [and] I'll be rolling out a new video every two weeks to give you an inside look at my life, my brain, and how I make sense of the world as me."
From there, Bialik's entertained herself and her viewers with quirky challenges, which she then records and shares in videos like "Describing My Day without the Letter 'S.'" Oh, and she's given her more than 700,000 subscribers advice on her top "non-trendy" yoga tips, house hacks, living alone, and even what NOT to say to a divorced woman. Surely valuable advice, indeed.
This Big Bang Theory star is digging into her writing prowess
"I've always been a writer; I've always had an interest in writing," Mayim Bialik told USA Today in February 2019. Need proof? She's used that interest to pen and publish a number of her own books over the years, including 2012's Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way and 2014's Mayim's Vegan Table: More than 100 Great-Tasting and Healthy Recipes from My Family to Yours, which she co-wrote with pediatrician Dr. Jay Gordon.
Bialik's also the writer behind 2017's Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular and 2019's Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant. Both use the star's real-life scientific background as a neuroscientist to help young people deal with the changes and challenges that life presents.
Beyond that, Bialik is willing to use her literary skills to promote others' work, as well, which is why she wrote the forward for Laura Silverman's It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories. In September 2019, Bialik took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the project, writing, "Happy publication day to this wonderful book by @LJSilverman1!! I was so happy to contribute the foreword, but it's front-to-back fantastic and I highly suggest getting your very own copy." Looks like fans of Mayim Bialik have a few titles to add to their reading list if they haven't already.
Mayim Bialik put a pause on Grok Nation
Mayim Bialik joined plenty of other popular celebrities — such as Zooey Deschanel, Kourtney Kardashian, and Meghan Markle (before she become the Duchess of Sussex) — by claiming her corner of the internet and launching her own online publication. Grok Nation went live in August 2015 and initially focused on contemporary issues before switching over to a women's lifestyle site in March 2018. While discussing the website with USA Today in February 2019, Bialik explained that it's "like if (Gwyneth Paltrow's) Goop was for the rest of us."
The actress and mom went on to say that after tackling pieces for the Jewish parenting website Kveller, she wanted to continue to put her thoughts down into words: "I started my own site because I wanted to write about things other than just Jewish parenting, and also I really wanted to have more ownership over the brand that my writing seemed to fall into." Bialik continued, "What I try and reflect on Grok Nation is the person I am. It's complicated and sometimes it's messy, and there's a lot of honesty and also a lot of opportunities for joy and for fun, but many people I think seem to really resonate with a website that is really dealing with the messy bits of life in an unapologetic way."
While Grok Nation built up a loyal following and expanded to include pieces by other writers, it's been paused with no new updates since June 2019.
She's supporting causes and making a difference
Along with Mayim Bialik's career-related pursuits, The Big Bang Theory alum is also putting her fame to good use by supporting causes that she believes in. You can see her efforts on social media, where she posts calls to action, such as promoting her 2019 appearance at The Wrap's Power Women Summit in Los Angeles. The event aims to encourage "women gamechangers and changemakers" in media and entertainment. Bialik also shared a message on National Voter Registration Day, which reminded people to make sure that they're ready to cast their ballot.
In September 2019, the star took to Twitter to ask her more than 680,000 followers to sign a petition to "end The Great Betrayal of lions in South Africa." Bialik had retweeted a post from the Born Free Foundation, which "campaigns to end the captive breeding of lions and other predators for canned hunting and other forms of commercial exploitation."
The actress' influence certainly seems to be working, as she received plenty of messages in response along the lines of this follower's Tweet: "I have signed it mayim protect these beautiful animals." Another person simply wrote alongside a heart emoji, "With you."
Mayim Bialik's celebrating Jewish holidays
Mayim Bialik is proudly Jewish and likes to share how she honors her spirituality. If you subscribe to her YouTube channel, you might have noticed a video she posted in April 2019 dedicated to cooking for Passover, in which she whips up Matzo ball tzimmes with apricot sauce. Yum!
Fans who follow Bialik on Instagram will have seen posts about her preparation for Rosh Hashana, which include a lot of baking. However, some results were more successful than others, such as her challah ... which came out a little, er, charred. While sharing a shot of her crispy creation, the reflective star wrote, "We frum folks do all sorts of ancient things which sound (are?) strange but this life has grown on me so much. And this past year I've been so excited all over again about things like burning a little bit of challah for the Priests of a Temple destroyed thousands of years ago. ... Happy 5780."
Bialik also wrote about her "10 mea culpas" related to the occasion with the Jewish Telegraph Agency. While sharing a song from her youth, she wrote, "Let's be friends. Make amends. Now's the time to say I'm sorry. / Let's be friends. Make amends. Please say you'll forgive me. / For the 10 days of [Teshuvah], it's time to make up; time to pray. / Take my hand and I'll take yours. Let's be friends for always."
Mom life is keeping this Big Bang Theory star busy
Along with her many showbiz hats, Mayim Bialik is also a mom to sons Miles (born in 2005) and Frederick (born in 2008). While some parents step back from their high-profile jobs when kids come onto the scene, Bialik actually left her scientific life behind and returned to Hollywood in order to spend more time with her kids (and get health insurance). "I'm glad that I completed my Ph.D. and I'm very proud of it," she told Yahoo! Entertainment in 2012. "But the life of a research professor would not have suited my needs in terms of what kind of parenting I wanted to do."
Bialik regularly discusses the kind of parenting she aims for in her YouTube videos, such as "How to Raise Vegan Kids," "How I Discipline My Boys (Without Shaming Them)," and the super sweet "Baking with My Boys." And it makes sense that she's willing to share her journey, because the star who, according to Ottawa Citizen, admits that she "came to parenting the way most of us do — knowing nothing and trying to learn everything," explained that she thinks it's important for famous folks to be open about their lives. "For me, to see people like (singer) Gwen Stefani talking about breast-feeding and wearing her baby in a sling is tremendous," Bialik said. "This is the best kind of trend there can be."
Mayim Bialik is sitting on a fortune
Mayim Bialik may not seem like the kind of star who indulges in a lavish lifestyle, but if she wanted to go overboard with excessive spending, she certainly has the funds to do so. The actress was originally making $175,000 per episode on The Big Bang Theory, which is obviously an amount that many people outside of the entertainment industry would love to make for a few days of work. However, that was just a sliver of the $450,000 she was eventually bringing in for every single episode of the show. The pay raise was partly due to the fact that Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar reportedly took a $100,000 per episode pay cut so that Bialik and Melissa Rauch would receive more money.
At the time, Bialik told HuffPost that she was thrilled to be returning to the show, saying, "I don't just mean it like, 'I'm making so much money. I'll never make this money again, so I might as well make as much as I can now.' That's not how I frame it. But I'll never get this opportunity again to be part of a show that does what we do."
Thanks to Bialik's staggering TBBT salary, as well as the money she earns from her other projects, Celebrity Net Worth estimates that the star has a fortune of $25 million. Big Bang = cha-ching!