Mayim Bialik’s one misstep ruined her years long friendship with the Emmy-winning actor Neil Patrick Harris.
Both Neil Patrick Harris and Mayim Bialik have been some of the biggest TV stars, primarily known for starring in shows like How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, respectively. However, the two have a lot more in common than being prominent television sitcom stars.
Harris and Bialik worked together several times as the rising child stars in the early ‘90s. The duo was so close that they became celebrity besties, frequently appearing on each other’s shows. However, their friendship took a downturn due to one misstep that the actress still feels terrible about.
Neil Patrick Harris and Mayim Bialik Were Close Friends
Neil Patrick Harris and Mayim Bialik started their acting career as child stars in the 1980s and soon found themselves in the same social circles. Having the same agent and similar tendencies made them a great companion to each other.
In a later interview with The Chicago Tribune, she reflected on their friendship.
Neil Patrick Harris and I were friends as teenagers. We had the same agent and we ran in the same social circles. He was very cerebral and I was too, so we weren’t the party kids. We had a lot of fun times together as teenagers.
By the early 1990s, Harris had started doing theatre and landed a part in the rock musical Rent. And he invited his friend Bialik to the show. “I was super excited for him,” the actress said reflecting on Harris’ casting in the musical.
However, Bialik is not a huge Broadway fan. But she still attended the show and rooted for her friend. As the show ended, everyone cheered and gave a standing ovation to the stars, except for one person, The Big Bang Theory star.
Sitting in the second row, the actress turned to her then-boyfriend and told him, “I am not going to stand up for this.” And things just went downward from there.
One Misstep Soured Neil Patrick Harris and Mayim Bialik’s Friendship
Although she found him and the show incredible, Bialik claimed, “It just wasn’t my thing.” And she was afraid that Harris might have heard her comment. And her fears were confirmed when she met him backstage.
“Why did you say you weren’t going to stand up?” she recalled him asking her, stating that things got awkward from there. Bialik described it as the worst feeling, believing it marked the end of their friendship. And she still feels terrible about it.
Over time they drifted apart. Following her interview with the outlet, the actress shared a throwback picture with Harris on Instagram, revealing that he sent her flowers and had forgiven her.
The actor also came in support of his longtime friend, on X (Twitter), stating, “Mayim Bialik and I have been friends for over 30 years. Her aversion to musical theater isn’t going to change that…”
While things took a downturn for their relationship following Bialik’s behavior at the theatre show, the two seemed to have reconciled and appeared to be good friends again.
