Melanie Hutsell claims her job was on the line if she refused to wear the oversized nose to mock Mayim Bialik who was about 19-years-old at the time.
Jeopardy! co-host Mayim Bialik,47, has spoken out about 55-year-old Saturday Night Live alum Melanie Hutsell and her reflections on portraying the actress as a teen in a 1994 sketch parody of Blossom while wearing a very large prosthetic nose.
Melanie Hutsell’s Job Was ‘On The Line’
As Hutsell opened up about the sketch, she explained that she tried to talk the crew out of using the oversized prosthetic, but found herself facing an unforgettable ultimatum.
“I was absolutely horrified that they wanted me to wear a prosthetic nose to play Mayim Bialik’s character, Blossom. I knew it was wrong,” the SNL alum told Entertainment Weekly last week. “I remember so clearly that when I expressed that I did not want to wear the prosthetic nose for the sketch, I was told if I refused, I would be fired.”
The actress and comedian also shared that she had the opportunity to make amends with Bialik around a decade later when they crossed paths during an audition. She recounted how she offered her apology, to which Bialik responded with the words, “I release you!”
“I took that to mean that she accepted my apology and that meant more to me than she will ever know,” Hutsell said.
It is now safe to say that Bialik holds no ill will toward Hutsell, or even NBC’s late-night show.
“Thank you Melanie Hutsell for this,” she wrote in an Instagram post about Hutsell’s comments. “I did not intend to disparage you or SNL and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness around this!”
Mayim Bialik Opens Up About How The Sketch Really Made Her Feel
The author and game show host explained that she’d been asked to write an essay on antisemitism and this was part of her experience.
“With everything going on in the world, I’m virtually hugging you and appreciate you very much!” Bialik wrote.
The article was published in Variety this past Wednesday. Bialik recalled how the skit made her feel at the time.
“In order to truly convey that she was ‘Blossom,’ she wore a fake, big nose,” wrote the Big Bang Theory star. Bialik also shared that she she enjoyed Hutsell’s imitation of her. She even described it as “hilarious.”
“I don’t know if it was significantly larger than my real nose and I don’t care to remember. I remember that it struck me as odd,” Bialik said. “And it confused me. No one else on the show was parodied for their features.”
Bialik wrote that she’d tried to simply forget about it at the time. She said that she none of her friends at school noticed because she “felt ashamed.” However, with the recent discussions surrounding “Jewface” and the debate over Bradley Cooper’s use of a prosthetic nose to portray Leonard Bernstein, she couldn’t help but rekindle those sentiments.
Bialik found herself thinking once more about the sketch and the choice to portray her with that dramatic prosthetic nose for comedic effect.
“Girls all over the world used to tell me that they had never seen a Jewish girl like me on TV before they saw me on Blossom,” she wrote. “Many said they knew I was Jewish and it made them proud to be. That was so touching to me, and it still is.”
“I wonder how those girls felt when they saw an actress playing me with a comically prosthetic nose,” Bialik said.
It’s heartening to witness everyone coming together after a sensitive topic resurfaced.