page_title: List of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon characters
section_title: Bernadette
hierarchical_section_title: List of The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon characters / Main characters / The Big Bang Theory main characters / Bernadette
caption_attribution_description: English: Melissa Rauch at PaleyFest 2013 for the TV show "Big Bang Theory".
context_page_description: The American television sitcom The Big Bang Theory, created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, premiered on CBS on September 24, 2007, while the American comedy spin-off prequel television series Young Sheldon, created and executive produced by Lorre alongside Jim Parsons and Steven Molaro, premiered on CBS on September 25, 2017.
  The Big Bang Theory initially centers on five characters: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, two Caltech physicists; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who at the beginning of the program's narrative lives across the hall, later weds Leonard, moves in with him and becomes a pharmaceutical representative, and Leonard and Sheldon's friends and co-workers aerospace engineer Howard Wolowitz, and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali.
  Over time, several supporting characters have been introduced and promoted to starring roles, including coworker and romantic partner of Leonard Leslie Winkle, Sheldon's wife Amy Farrah Fowler, Howard's wife Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, comic book store proprietor and friend of the other characters Stuart Bloom, and Emily Sweeney.
context_section_description: Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, PhD (Melissa Rauch) is originally a waitress and co-worker of Penny's at The Cheesecake Factory, using her wages to pay for her graduate studies in microbiology. She is a smart, short-tempered, ruthless, and often competitive young woman who sometimes displays a sweet, nice, and friendly personality. Despite her squeaky voice, she has a darker side. A recurring joke in the series references Bernadette and her lab team handling dangerous or infectious specimens, leading to accidental byproducts or exposure to diseases, in some cases resulting in Bernadette being quarantined.
  Bernadette is of Polish origin and Catholic upbringing, and was originally seen wearing a cross necklace. She frequently manipulates people, often pretending to be a friendly and good-natured individual, quickly making friends with Penny and Amy, as well as the rest of the gang. Despite her short stature, she is regarded as being somewhat intimidating, largely because of her sharp tongue, aggressive demeanor, and occasional signs of mania. In season eight's "The Locomotion Interruption", Penny interviews for a pharmaceutical sales representative position with Bernadette's boss, and secures it because she concurs with his opinion that Bernadette is kind of a bully and that they are slightly terrified of her.
  Penny first introduced Bernadette to Howard on Leonard's request. During their first date, Bernadette and Howard do not find any common field of interest until they discover that they both have domineering mothers. After their third date, Bernadette declares that three dates is the threshold for deciding whether they want a long-term relationship. Blindsided, Howard hesitates initially, causing a temporary rift between them, but then impulsively proposes marriage to show her that he does care about her. Frustrated, she declines, but when he sings a heartfelt song for her at the Cheesecake Factory, she declares that it is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for her and their relationship continues. A lengthy offscreen breakup occurs when she catches Howard engaging in cybersex, but Howard apologizes and their relationship resumes.
  In her initial appearances in the third season, Bernadette does not use her high-pitched speaking voice and is portrayed as almost a dim-witted blonde by taking things literally and not understanding even the simplest of ideas. She mentions this fact in season four's "The Alien Parasite Hypothesis", where she says she is much smarter than Howard, but in order to protect his manhood, she acted dumber.
  
  In the fourth season finale, she obtains her doctorate and is subsequently hired by a pharmaceutical company (Zangen) that offers her a high salary. While preparing for their wedding in the fifth season, Bernadette is shocked and repulsed when she learns about Howard's past sexual escapades, although once again, an apology and reconciliation occurs in the same episode. They marry the day before Howard leaves for his upcoming mission to the International Space Station.
  During seasons six and seven, the newlyweds deal with Howard's difficulty in readjusting to life on Earth, the struggle to keep a healthy relationship with Howard's mother, and arguments over money. In the ninth-season episode, "The Valentino Submergence", Bernadette reveals that she is pregnant, informing Howard in the next episode. She comically reveals that the baby was conceived in Sheldon's bed, much to Sheldon's chagrin. Raj learns about the baby's gender and inadvertently reveals that the child is a girl. In "The Birthday Synchronicity" Bernadette gives birth to a girl named Halley who screams like the baby's late grandmother, Debbie Wolowitz.
  In season 11, Bernadette learns that she is again pregnant, while Howard is telling her Sheldon and Amy got engaged. Her doctor puts her on six months of bed rest, which makes her fond of watching detective- and criminal-themed TV shows. In "The Neonatal Nomenclature" Bernadette gives birth to a boy named Neil Michael Wolowitz (Neil for Armstrong, Gaiman and Diamond
caption: Melissa Rauch
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS REBEL T3i", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "240", "Image YResolution": "240", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 Windows", "Image DateTime": "2017:03:21 17:33:03", "Image Artist": "Dominick Dusseault", "Image Copyright": "iDominick Visual Media", "Image ExifOffset": "288", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "998", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "4696", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/125", "EXIF FNumber": "28/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "3200", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "3200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0230", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:03:13 18:54:48", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:03:13 18:54:48", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "870723/125000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2485427/500000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "5", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "187", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "47", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "47", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1067", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1600", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "1036800/181", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "691200/119", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF CameraOwnerName": "Dominick Dusseault", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "132155001290", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[55, 250, 0/0, 0/0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000356f42"}