Part of The Big Bang Theory featuring Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, and Kunal Nayyar.
Rise to Fame
She was America's favorite quirky teen in Blossom before most people had heard the words 'neuroscience PhD.' When the show ended in 1995, she turned down Harvard and Yale, chose UCLA, and spent the next decade earning a doctorate. She's said she returned to acting because her sons needed health insurance. The Big Bang Theory casting team had name-dropped her in an earlier episode as 'the girl from Blossom who got a PhD in neuroscience' before they hired her to play exactly that character. Four Emmy nominations followed.
In the Spotlight
She spent two years as the contentious face of Jeopardy!, sharing hosting duties with Ken Jennings while the audience loudly picked a side. When the 2023 writers' strike started, she stepped back from the show in solidarity. Jennings got the extended solo run. In December 2023, Sony fired her, and she announced it on Instagram before anyone could spin the story. Executive producer Michael Davies said the show needed 'a single host' and that 'Ken really won the job.' She's since landed a part in Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother, which won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2025.
Side Notes
Her UCLA dissertation, completed in 2007, covers hypothalamic regulation in adolescents with Prader-Willi syndrome. Not a celebrity vanity degree. She'd turned down Harvard and Yale to stay near family, was doing Kim Possible voiceovers to cover expenses during grad school, and fully expected to end up as a professor. She also pitched a Blossom reboot to Disney, who passed and kept the rights.