Mayim Bialik got real in an essay for Variety about how mockery of her physical features — particularly her nose — has been a hurtful occurrence that she’s dealt with since she was a child actress. Her article specifically mentioned SNL, and while the Blossom star said she was excited at first about being parodied on the celebrated sketch comedy show, she ultimately was “ashamed,” after seeing that the cast member portraying her wore a large prosthetic nose. This inspired former cast member Melanie Hutsell to speak out, publicly apologizing to the Jeopardy! host, and now Bialik has responded.
Mayim Bialik took to Threads to clear the air with Saturday Night Live alum Melanie Hutsell, clarifying that she had intended no negativity toward the comedian or the longtime NBC series in the essay she penned for Variety. In Bialik’s words:
Thank you Melanie Hutsell for this - I did not intend to disparage you or SNL and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness around this! It made for an interesting essay (which I was asked to write many months ago on the topic of antisemitism) and with everything going on in the world, I’m virtually hugging you and appreciate you very much!
Even if Mayim Bialik had not been looking for an apology from Melanie Hutsell, she said she still appreciated the former cast member speaking out about the issue. In the Variety essay, the Blossom star recalled a TV critic writing about “the lack of ‘sense’ that my face made to him” when she was a teenager. MAD magazine later followed suit, causing her to cry after it “mocked every single thing about both me and our entire show.”
Then came Saturday Night Live, and Mayim Bialik said she was confused at being the only person parodied for their physical appearance. Melanie Hutsell spoke out after seeing the essay, telling EW that she’d been “absolutely horrified” when she learned of the prosthetic she was expected to wear, but she was told if she refused to wear it, she’d be fired. Hutsell said if she could go back and change things she would not wear the fake nose, even if it meant risking her job.
This actually wasn’t the first time Mayim Bialik and Melanie Hutsell have spoken about this issue. The former SNL cast member said on the Fly on the Wall podcast that she had apologized to the actress in person during a casual run-in, and they were able to come to a mutual understanding. Hutsell had only the kindest things to say about the Call Me Kat alum, calling her “one of the smartest and most incredible people on the planet — beautiful inside and out.” It sounds like Bialik also holds Hutsell in high esteem, as she showed much appreciation for the comedian’s public apology, sending her virtual hugs.
It’s nice to see that this uncomfortable and hurtful situation came to a peaceful resolution, as Blossom fans wait to see the sitcom’s highly anticipated comeback. Rather than focusing on the comedy, though, it sounds like the Blossom reboot might take a page out of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s book to focus on the established characters’ darker issues. While we wait for updates on that, Blossom’s five seasons can be streamed with a Hulu subscription, and check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
