Mayim Bialik says she ‘felt shame’ when Saturday Night Live mocked her nose with prosthetic as a teen: ‘I mostly tried to forget it’

Actress and game show host Mayim Bialik reflects on how her profile has played a prominent role in her life and career.

Specifically, the Big Bang Theory alum recalls an old SNL skit mocking her for having what she called an “undeniably Jewish” nose, in an essay for Variety’s Antisemitism and Hollywood package.

The 1994 sketch was a parody of Blossom, the NBC sitcom in which Bialik starred in the title role, starting when she was just 14 years old.

While the parody focused on mocking the show’s penchant for sweet and sentimental stories, as well as the catchphrase “Wow!” she also pointed out that Bialik was indeed Jewish.

“The actress who played me danced and mugged for the camera and was hilarious,” Bialik wrote, referring to former SNL cast member Melanie Hutsell. ‘But. She wore a prosthetic nose. To really convey that she was Blossom, she wore a fake, big nose.’

Mayim Bialik, 47, recalled an old Saturday Night Live sketch from 1994 that mocked her for having what she called an ‘undeniably Jewish’ nose, in an essay for Variety

Early in the essay, Bialik, now 47, writes about the progression of her appearance and how it eventually became a talking point in her life.

“I killed my nose around the fourth grade. Before that, I had more of a button nose. Lovely,” she shared, before adding: “But since I was 10, the pointy chin I’ve had pretty much since I could crawl has been joined by what I think is a prominent, slightly regal, nose in the of what is called the “Roman” nose.’

She started acting professionally in her high school years. As a form of encouragement, her parents compared her appearance to two huge stars who were also Jewish: Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler, both of whom were known to have prominent noses but still went on to have huge careers.

By the time Blossom premiered on NBC in 1990, the scrutiny had begun to intensify.

One early review from a “respectable publication” described the lack of “sense” my face gave it. she said, adding that the shape of her face confused this critic.

“He said my features didn’t seem to match each other,” she said of the review.

Bialik knew the importance of parody on Saturday Night Live, so she was very excited to see how she would be portrayed.

But after watching the SNL skit with Hutsel, Bialik recalled being “confused” because the brace she was wearing felt “weird.”

“No one else on the show is parodied for their characteristics,” Bialik noted. ‘I never thought to talk about it and mostly tried to forget.’

Painful portrayal: ‘The actress who plays me danced and mugged for the camera and was hilarious,’ Bialik said of former SNL cast member Melanie Hutsell. ‘But. She wore a prosthetic nose. To really convey that she was Blossom, she wore a fake, big nose.’

Looking back on her heyday for the essay, the actress revealed she wonders how her look-alike fans felt ‘when they saw an actress playing me with a comically prosthetic nose’

She went on to admit that she hoped no one would notice the skit, but eventually all her high school friends saw it and she was “embarrassed”.

Bialik would recall how MAD magazine did their parodies, explaining how “everyone was caricatured,” but when it came to her SNL parody, she felt “singled out” because of her nose.

It turns out the awkward memory of the SNL sketch was triggered when Bialik saw the backlash actor Bradley Cooper received when he was accused of wearing ‘Jewface’ because of the prosthetic nose he wore while playing legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in The Maestro.

“And I started studying photos of Bradley and Leonard and wondering if it was necessary,” the San Diego native admitted. “I don’t know how I feel.”

But Bialik seems to worry about how young girls, who looked up to her when she starred in Blossom, feel about being criticized for “traits I inherited from my mixed Eastern European-Ashkenic background.”

Catalyst: Turns out the embarrassing memory of the SNL sketch was triggered when Bialik saw the backlash actor Bradley Cooper got when he was accused of wearing ‘Jewface’ because of the prosthetic nose he wore while playing legendary composer Leonard Bernstein in The Maestro

“Girls all over the world told me they had never seen a Jewish woman like me on TV before they saw me on Blossom,” the actress explained. “Many said they knew I was Jewish and that made them proud that I was.” It was so moving to me, and it still is.’

She added: “I wonder how those girls felt when they saw an actress playing me with a comically prosthetic nose.”

During the essay, Bialik was open and honest about not always loving her nose, but admitted that she ‘never wanted to change it.’

“I came to see my face as clearly as it was given to me by God,” she wrote. “My genetic makeup is mine alone, and also, it’s a combination of cultures pushed together after the Holocaust spilled so many of us onto the shores of Ellis Island. My nose is undoubtedly Jewish, and so am I. Is it because of my nose? Maybe. But I don’t need to know because we will always be one and the same.’

In addition to five seasons on Blossom (1990-1995), Bialik is also known for her role as neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory (2009-2019) and as host of the popular game show Jeopardy! (2021-present).