Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: Blossom, Mayim Bialik, nbc, snl

Mayim Bialik, Melanie Hutsell & Regrets Over SNL "Blossom" Sketch

Melanie Hutsell revealed that she feared for her job if she refused the prosthetic nose for an SNL "Blossom" sketch; Mayim Bialik responds.

It's no secret that the continuing reverence of NBC's Saturday Night Live is the late-night series' ability to remain topical in lampooning pop culture even when it comes to the network's programming, like the Mayim Bialik-starred '90s sitcom Blossom. In the SNL version, cast member Melanie Hutsell parodied the Bialik character adding a prosthetic nose to perpetuate a Jewish stereotype. The actress who appeared in Hulu's Tiny Beautiful Things was an SNL cast member from 1991-1994, appearing in 52 episodes of the Lorne Michaels series expressing regret at the decision appearing on Dana Carvey and David Spade's podcast Fly on the Wall.

SNL: Melanie Hutsell's 'Blossom' Regret

"When we were preparing to do that sketch all those years ago, 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," Hutsell revealed to her fellow SNL alum. She reluctantly accepted, fearing potential ramifications. "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. And keep in mind many of the people who had a hand in creating the sketch were Jewish. Although I had and have always had a strong moral compass, I didn't have the strength to refuse to do the sketch after I was told I would be fired."

In hindsight, Hutsell would been willing to die on that hill. "If I could go back and change history, I would have refused to wear the prosthetic nose and taken the risk of losing my job," she said. "That would have been the right thing to do." After Entertainment Weekly's inquiry, SNL's reps didn't respond.

Bialik responded on her Instagram writing, "Thank you, Melanie Hutsell, for this – I did not intend to disparage you or SNL, and I really appreciate your thoughtfulness around this!" the Jeopardy! host wrote. "It made for an interesting essay (which I was asked to write many months ago on the topic of antisemitism), and with everything going on in the world, I'm virtually hugging you and appreciate you very much!" For more, you can check it out here.

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