Mrs. Wolowitz, Howard’s mom on The Big Bang Theory, was a popular character so why was she killed off? The Big Bang Theory follows a group of scientists, which includes Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg). Each character has a unique relationship with their parents — with Sheldon (Jim Parsons) disobeying everybody’s orders except his mother’s, Leonard (Johnny Galecki) having a complicated, disaffectionate maternal connection, and Rajesh’s (Kunal Nayyar) mother spoiling him at every turn. Meanwhile, Mrs. Wolowitz (voiced by Carol Ann Susi), is every bit of an aggressive helicopter-mother stereotype: overly attached, overprotective, and ever-present, using food and guilt as weapons. There was a tragic reason Mrs. Wolowitz died in the show — actress Carol Ann Susi passed away.
The Howard’s mom Big Bang Theory exit shocked fans and audiences alike as she was a huge staple on the show. The Howard Wolowitz mom jokes were going strong since The Big Bang Theory season 1, and many were sad to see the character depart so suddenly. It also caused a fair bit of confusion among watchers, as Mrs. Wolowitz was rarely a serious subject in the series, so the storyline surrounding her death was a clear departure from the norm. The reasoning behind Debbie Wolowitz getting killed off wasn’t due to a contractual dispute, nor was it a planned storyline. The reason that she left the show was actually much sadder, and intended to honor Carol Ann Susi.
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Why The Howard Wolowitz Mom Death Shocked Fans
The Howard’s mom Big Bang Theory character debuted in The Big Bang Theory season 1, episode 7, “The Dumpling Paradox,” clashing with Howard’s then-girlfriend Christy (Brooke D’Orsay). With Howard living with his mother for the most part of TBBT, the sitcom never passed up an opportunity to feature Debbie through her voice. Although she was never given the chance to fully appear in the show, she had forged meaningful relationships with characters other than her son. In the season 7 finale, she even develops an unlikely kinship with Stuart (Kevin Sussman) who moves into her house after his comic book shop burns down.
Aside from the oddly close Howard Wolowitz’s mom and her son share, his friends also used to make fun of Mrs. Wolowitz’s appearance and voice — even Bernadette (Melissa Rauch). Still, when she died, everyone grieved her passing, with each member of the Pasadena gang admitting she somehow played a mother figure to all of them. In The Big Bang Theory season 8, episode 15 titled “The Comic Book Regeneration,” Howard got a phone call from his aunt revealing that his mom had passed away. This took not just the characters but the viewers by surprise. While Mrs. Wolowitz historically had innumerable health concerns (another running gag), including an injury that motivated Howard to hire Stuart to help her in the house, there was indication that she was gravely ill.
The Actress Behind The Howard Wolowitz Mom Voice Tragically Passed
The decision to kill Mrs. Wolowitz in The Big Bang Theory was the result of Carol Ann Susi’s death in real life. The veteran actress died on November 11, 2014, after a bout with cancer — just five days after her final voice appearance in The Big Bang Theory season 8, episode 8 titled “The Prom Equivalency.” Over the years, Susi appeared in multiple small and big screen projects, but she’s best known for her stint in 1974’s Kolchak: The Knight Stalker, and interestingly The Big Bang Theory, despite the fact she’s never shown on screen. Aside from respectfully writing off her character from the CBS sitcom, the show also paid homage to her by featuring a small photo of Susi on the side of the refrigerator in Apartment 4A.
Mrs. Wolowitz was featured in The Big Bang Theory one more time following her death in season 11, episode 9 “The Bitcoin Entanglement,” in a flashback sequence where Howard is talking to his mother. The scene used audio of Susi from a previous episode. Debbie also made a voice cameo in Young Sheldon season 2 finale, which featured young versions of all of Sheldon’s (Iain Armitage) friends, including Howard. The snippet shows the future aerospace engineer playing videogame late in the night as his mother screamed for him to go to sleep. Instead of using Susi’s voice, however, the prequel spinoff hired Pamela Adlon to play Mrs. Wolowitz.
Do You Ever See Howard Wolowitz Mom On Big Bang?
One of the big Howard’s mom Big Bang Theory jokes is the fact that she’s only heard and never seen. The back-and-forth yelling between Howard and his mother was cause for many a laugh on the show, and part of what made the character of Mrs. Wolowitz so funny is the fact that she never shows up on screen, but her presence is larger than life. However, there is a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” moment where Howard’s mom does make her one and only appearance. Fans endured 5 seasons of Howard and Mrs. Wolowitz’s loud conversations before they could finally catch a short glimpse of her in season 6, but only if one pays close attention.
The Big Bang Theory season 6, episode 15, “The Spoiler Alert Segmentation,” sees Raj visit Debbie Wolowitz after she is dumped by her dentist boyfriend, while Howard and Bernadette are on a trip to Vegas. While in the kitchen eating the dinner she made, she shouts to Raj asking if he’s ready for dessert. She then appears for the very first time in the kitchen. The appearance drew gasps and giggles from the audience, only further highlighting what a shock it was to finally see The Big Bang Theory character on screen.
How The Big Bang Theory Honored Carol Ann Susi’s Death
Though she is never seen on screen, Howard’s mom on The Big Bang Theory was an important part of the show. The loss was certainly felt when she was gone and the show acknowledged the tragic passing of Carol Ann Susi in a touching way. Following the news of her death, season 8, episode 9 “The Septum Deviation” included a message in remembrance of Susi at the end, reading “Every time you spoke, we laughed. You’re in our hearts forever.”
Susi was also remembered by several of The Big Bang Theory cast members (via THR) with Mayim Bialik tweeting “Beloved Carol Ann Susi passed away, yes. The voice of Mrs wolowitz. Oh Carol Ann” while Melissa Ranch tweeted “So grateful to have known Carol Ann Susi who brought laughter & light with her always. She’ll forever be in my heart.” Susi’s small but vital part of the show clearly impacted The Bang Bang Theory cast and it certainly made an impression on fans.