Bernadette's Biggest Secret On The Big Bang Theory

Throughout the 12-season tenure of "The Big Bang Theory," audiences experience a spectrum of emotions as the beloved characters make them laugh, cry, and gasp with shock as major secrets are revealed, one of which involves Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch).

Bernadette is introduced in Season 3 of the hit CBS sitcom when she's invited by her friend Penny (Kaley Cuoco) to go on a double date with Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and his very single friend Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg). At first, things aren't going well as Bernadette shoots down all of Howard's interests, including magic, computers, and puppies. But by the end of the date, they bond over their overbearing, overprotective mothers.

Throughout their relationship, Bernadette and Howard experience numerous obstacles, from his stressful stint in space to the refusal of his mother (Carol Ann Susi) to let him leave the nest. Still, this couple manages to conquer each roadblock, all while being open and honest with each other. However, in Season 9, Bernadette keeps a major secret from her husband, one that shocks Howard when he finally finds out.

For most of "The Big Bang Theory," Bernadette is extremely vocal about her dislike of children. When she serves as Howard's assistant for his magic act at a kid's birthday party, she snaps at one young attendee who knows the secrets behind the tricks, yelling, "That's it, no cake for you!" On the car ride home, she complains about "their snotty noses and their poopy diapers and their little shrieky voices." Though Howard suggests it may be different with her own child, she becomes disgusted at the thought of a "ruined" body, no sleep, and limited career options.

But in Season 9, that all changes when Bernadette accidentally becomes pregnant, a major life update that she keeps from Howard for some time because she's afraid of how he'll react. When Bernadette does tell him by sending him on a Post-it Note scavenger hunt, his initial happiness quickly turns to panic as he worries about finances and religion.

This bombshell did not go over well with Howard or "The Big Bang Theory" viewers, who didn't enjoy Bernadette's abrupt change in feelings toward pregnancy. On Reddit, u/TheEngineWhoCouldnt called out show creator Chuck Lorre, who they said is "notorious for writing traditional marriage and kids happy endings for every one of his characters regardless of how well it suits character development. I think he got scared of not doing that." Many were in agreement, including u/Spotling, who sarcastically said, "They couldn't show a married women [sic] not having children on TV! What kind of ideas would they be implanting in women's minds?!"