Mayim Bialik's past controversial statements as she's axed from 'Jeopardy!'
A look at axed 'Jeopardy!' host Mayim Bialik's controversial remarks
Just days after making controversial comments about the Israel-Hamas war, Mayim Bialik has been relieved from her hosting duty at the popular game show 'Jeopardy!' However, this was not the first time that the 48-year-old 'The Big Bang Theory' star stirred the murky waters of controversy through her views. She has made controversial comments in the past - be it on vaccination, contraception, or home births.
On contraception
In 2020, Mayim Bialik appeared in a video where she associated hormonal birth control pills with increased rates of mental illnesses in women. She was found saying in the video, “It is a powerful drug with a lot of side effects and it is not a mood regulator…many women experience staggering depression, emotional ability, and something I’m concerned about is the stereotyping of women and their moods and even about PMS may actually be reflecting the hormonal manipulation of our systems,” as per Rolling Stones.
Victim shaming
Mayim Bialik stirred controversy in 2018 by suggesting Harvey Weinstein's victims were responsible for their sexual assaults because of how they dressed. Claiming that she avoided getting targeted by dressing modestly and not acting "flirtatiously with men", she wrote, “In a perfect world, women should be free to act however they want. But our world isn’t perfect. Nothing - absolutely nothing - excuses men for assaulting or abusing women. But we can’t be naïve about the culture we live in." She went on to apologize for her statements later.
On home births and C-sections
In 2010, Bialik gave a controversial quote to Self magazine regarding C-section delivery and home births that garnered her some unfavorable opinions. As writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner said some women are physically unable to push a baby through the birth canal facilitating a normal delivery, thus opting for a C-section, Bialik replied, "There are those among us who believe that if the baby can't survive a home labor, it is OK for it to pass peacefully," before adding, "I do not subscribe to this, but I know that some feel that…if a baby cannot make it through birth, it is not favored evolutionarily."
Criticism of vaccines
Mayim Bialik initially made her stance against vaccines known in her 2012 book 'Beyond the Sling', where she wrote, “We made an informed decision not to vaccinate our children,” before adding, “but this is a very personal decision that should be made only after sufficient research, which today is within reach of every parent who seeks to learn about their child’s health regardless of their medical knowledge or educational status.” However, she later clarified her stance during the Covid pandemic, when her spokesperson said, “She has been fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus and is not at all an anti-vaxxer,” according to Vanity Fair.
Views on the Israel-Hamas war
In an Instagram video with Israeli actor and activist Noa Tishby, Bialik suggested that people with certain views regarding the Israel-Hamas war are antisemitic, as per Newsweek. Referring to Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters, who is an outspoken pro-Palestinian supporter, Bialik said, "If you in any way think that you don't really know what went on on October 7th—Roger Waters I'm talking to you—you might be an antisemite," before adding, "If you think that that footage in some way is not reflecting exactly what happened as it was broadcast from the GoPros on the terrorists' heads, sorry folks, you might be an antisemite."
Campaigning for shady supplements
Mayim Bialik appeared in an advertisement for an alleged cerebral power-inducing drug Neuriva where she boasted about her neuroscience degree and said, “Neuriva Plus is backed by strong science - yes, I checked it myself - and it combines two clinically tested ingredients that help support six key indicators of brain health.” Later, the claims made by Neuriva were dismissed by a 2020 Psychology Today who referred to it as “just another tasty snake oil," Mirror reported.
