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Melissa Peterman (born July 1, 1971) is an American actress, television host and comedian. She has played the role of Barbra Jean in the television comedy series '' Reba'', appeared as Bonnie Wheeler in the
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
/ Freeform series ''
Baby Daddy ''Baby Daddy'' is an American sitcom created by Dan Berendsen that premiered on June 20, 2012, on ABC Family ( Freeform). The series follows Ben, a man in his twenties, who gets the surprise of his life when a one-night stand leaves his baby a ...
'', and was host of ABC Family's ''Dancing Fools'',
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
's ''
Bet on Your Baby ''Bet on Your Baby'' is an American game show that is hosted by Melissa Peterman. The series premiered on ABC on April 13, 2013, with two back-to-back episodes. Each episode features five families with toddlers between the ages of two and three- ...
'', and CMT's '' The Singing Bee''. From 2017 to 2024, she played Brenda Sparks in ''
The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady for CBS. It aired from September 24, 2007, to May 16, 2019, running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes. The show originally centered on five charact ...
'' spinoff series ''
Young Sheldon ''Young Sheldon'' is an American sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro which aired on CBS from September 25, 2017, to May 16, 2024. The series is a Spin-off (media), spin-off prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'' that ...
''. Since September 2023, she has been the host of the television game show '' Person, Place or Thing''. It was announced she was cast in the Reba McEntire led sitcom, '' Happy's Place'' on NBC which premiered on October 18, 2024.


Career

Upon graduating from Minnesota State, Peterman was cast as Madeline Monroe in Hey City Theater's production of ''
Tony n' Tina's Wedding ''Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding'' is an " environmental/ immersive theatre" event based on a traditional Italian-American wedding and reception, with warm and intrusive stereotypes exaggerated for comic effect. Audience members are treated as guests ...
''. After more than 600 performances, she went on to write and perform at
Brave New Workshop The Brave New Workshop (BNW), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota was founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958 and is the longest running sketch and improvisational comedy theater in the US. BNW continues the tradition, of writing, producing, and performing a ...
, the
improvisational comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv or impro in British English, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its ...
theatre in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. The theater boasts such alumni as
Pat Proft Pat Proft (born 1947) is an American comedy writer, actor, and director. Born in Minnesota in 1947, Proft began his career at Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis in the mid-1960s. He went on to perform as a one-man comedy act in the ...
,
Louie Anderson Louis Perry Anderson (March 24, 1953 – January 21, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, author and game show host. He created the cartoon series ''Life with Louie'' and the television sitcom ''The Louie Show'', and wrote four books ...
,
Cedric Yarbrough Cedric Yarbrough (; born March 20, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He has starred in the series ''Reno 911!'' as Deputy S. Jones and as Kenneth on the ABC sitcom '' Speechless'', as well as voicing Gerald Fitzgerald on the Netflix comedy ...
,
Mo Collins Maureen Ann Collins (born July 7, 1965) is an American actress and comedian who was a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series ''Mad TV''. Collins became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show. She was a ...
, and
Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor who served from 2009 to 2018 as a United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he worked as an ...
. In 1996, Peterman made her film debut as "Hooker #2" in the Oscar-winning
Coen brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...
' movie '' Fargo''.


2001–2006: ''Reba'' and other appearances

In 2001, Peterman was cast as Barbra Jean Booker-Hart in '' Reba'' opposite country music star
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...
and television veteran Christopher Rich. The show was the most-watched comedy on
The WB The WB Television Network (shortened to The WB, stylized as "THE WB", and nicknamed the "Frog Network" and/or "The Frog" for its former mascot Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network that ran from 1995 to 2006. It launched on ter ...
in its debut season. In 2007, the show ended its run after six seasons. Episodes continue to air in syndication on multiple networks. During this time, Peterman also returned to film with ''Recipe for Disaster'' alongside
Lesley Ann Warren Lesley Ann Warren (born August 16, 1946) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She made her Broadway debut in '' 110 in the Shade'' in 1963. In 1965 she received wide recognition for playing the title role in the television musical product ...
and John Lette. She also made appearances in ''
How High ''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film directed by Jesse Dylan in his feature film directorial debut and written by Dustin Lee Abraham. In the film, Method Man and Redman portray two cannabis users who are visited by the ghost ...
'' and the unreleased independent film ''Cook-Off''. Peterman remained loyal to her comic roots, too, as the host of ''15 Minutes of Fem'', a comedy showcase for women presented at the Egyptian Theatre. On television, she appeared in the
Oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
sketch comedy show ''Running with Scissors'' and guest-starred on ''
Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series originally aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons, including 3 episodes aired on syndication. The show, cre ...
'' and ''
The Pitts ''The Pitts'' is an American sitcom that aired on Fox between March and April 2003. It is about a family and their bad luck. The show featured absurd, fantastical plots presented within the context of a seemingly normal family sitcom. It was ca ...
''. She also portrayed an unstable guidance counselor, Mrs. Splitz, on ''
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide ''Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide'' (sometimes shortened to ''Ned's Declassified'') is an American live action sitcom on Nickelodeon that debuted on the Nickelodeon Sunday night TEENick scheduling block on September 12, 2004. The serie ...
''. During her summer hiatus from ''Reba'', Peterman hosted ''
The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
Sing-a-Long'', reprising her hosting gig the previous summer's ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...
Sing-a-Long'', at the
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Peterman also made appearances on the ''World Cup Comedy Challenge'' television series, as well as on the celebrity edition of ''
Trading Spaces ''Trading Spaces'' is an hour-long American television reality program that originally aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series '' Changing Rooms''. The first ...
'', with her ''Reba'' co-star Christopher Rich.


2007–2010: Tours, pilots, and ''The Singing Bee''

In October,
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
announced Peterman had been cast in an untitled comedy pilot starring
Cedric the Entertainer Cedric Antonio Kyles (born April 24, 1964), better known by his stage name Cedric the Entertainer, is an American stand-up comedian, actor and television host. He hosted BET's '' ComicView'' during the 1993–1994 season and '' Def Comedy Jam'' ...
. The show was taped before an audience on October 30, 2007. In December, the network announced they had secured the actors, indicating they were interested in the project. During the annual upfront presentation on May 13, 2008, ABC confirmed they did not order the pilot to series. In 2007, Peterman appeared as the opening act on country singer and former '' Reba'' co-star
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...
's tour. Peterman returned the following year when McEntire toured with
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
. In 2007, Peterman hosted ''Comedy Stage'' for CMT. The series finished its run after eight episodes. The next year, she hosted a special, ''Redneck Dreams'', for the network. Also in 2008, she was in two episodes of '' Wanna Bet?'' as a celebrity panelist. Peterman also appeared in an episode of animated comedy ''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the r ...
''. She announced she was shooting another comedy, this time for
FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
, titled ''Living With Abandon''. The pilot was not ordered to series. In 2009, she landed the hosting gig for '' The Singing Bee''. The show had been cancelled by
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
, and CMT expressed interest in reviving the competition. Also in 2009, Peterman appeared in ''
Rita Rocks ''Rita Rocks'' is a Lifetime original sitcom that ran from October 20, 2008 to December 7, 2009. It was the network's first original comedy in over a decade. The series debuted alongside re-runs of '' Reba'' as part of a new comedy hour for Tues ...
'' on Lifetime, and in ''
Surviving Suburbia ''Surviving Suburbia'' is an American sitcom television series starring Bob Saget and Cynthia Stevenson that aired on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from April 6 to August 7, 2009. The series originally aired at 9:30 PM Eastern/8:30&nbs ...
'' on ABC. She starred opposite Gary Valentine in ''Dusty Peacock'', an online comedy series on
Crackle Crackle or crackling may refer to: Foods * Cracklings, the tissue remaining after lard and tallow have been extracted from animal fats ** Pork rinds in American English, pork scratchings in British English when served in small pieces as a snack ...
. In February 2010,
Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta and ...
announced that they signed Peterman to a recording contract, and she was to release her debut comedy album that year. The album has been recorded, but has not yet been released. Peterman is no longer listed on the record label website. Her debut comedy special, ''Melissa Peterman: Am I The Only One?'', premiered March 12, 2010, on CMT. The special was taped before an audience in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
. Also that year, Peterman hosted the
CMT Music Awards The CMT Music Awards is a fan-voted awards show for country music videos and television performances. The ceremony launched in 1967 as Music City News Awards; it is the oldest award show currently airing under Paramount Global. The ceremony ...
red carpet.


2011: ''Working Class''

Peterman had revealed, in 2010, she was starring in another pilot. The family sitcom, titled ''
Working Class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
'', was the first original scripted comedy for the CMT network. Peterman starred alongside comedy veteran
Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor. He is most notable for portraying Lou Grant on the sitcom ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977) and drama '' Lou Grant'' (1977–1982), making him one of the few ...
and renowned television actor
Patrick Fabian Patrick Fabian (born December 7, 1964) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his role as attorney Howard Hamlin in ''Better Call Saul'' (2015–2022). His film roles include '' End Game'' (2006), '' Cloud 9'' ( ...
. The series debut was the most-watched and highest-rated in network history. The series was canceled after one season.


2012–present: ''Baby Daddy'', ''Young Sheldon'', and other shows

In 2012, Peterman announced she was appearing in an upcoming
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
sitcom, ''
Baby Daddy ''Baby Daddy'' is an American sitcom created by Dan Berendsen that premiered on June 20, 2012, on ABC Family ( Freeform). The series follows Ben, a man in his twenties, who gets the surprise of his life when a one-night stand leaves his baby a ...
''. In March, the network announced Peterman, originally only appearing in one episode, had been upgraded to series regular. The network also revealed the pilot was the highest-testing comedy pilot in network history. ''Baby Daddy'' finished its season as the highest-rated comedy in key demographics. The show was renewed for a second season, returning Wednesday, May 29. The show ended on May 22, 2017, after six seasons. In January 2013, ABC ordered ''Bet On Your Baby'' and announced Peterman was the host. The competition series debuted Saturday, April 6. In February 2013, ABC Family announced Peterman was also the host of another upcoming competition, ''Dancing Fools''. Peterman also guest starred on '' Last Man Standing'' as CeCe in Season 8. From 2017 to 2024, Peterman played Brenda Sparks, a recurring character on the CBS sitcom, ''
Young Sheldon ''Young Sheldon'' is an American sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro which aired on CBS from September 25, 2017, to May 16, 2024. The series is a Spin-off (media), spin-off prequel to ''The Big Bang Theory'' that ...
''. Originally married to Herschel Sparks (
Billy Gardell William Gardell Jr. (born August 20, 1969) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on ''Mike & Molly.'' He also had a recurring role as Billy Colivida on ''Yes, Dear'', and appeared in a dozen ...
) in Seasons 1 and 2, Peterman's character becomes the divorced and single mom next door neighbor to the Cooper family in season 4 and is at times a friend and nemesis to Mary Cooper, played by
Zoe Perry Zoe Perry (born September 26, 1983) is an American actress. The daughter of actors Laurie Metcalf and Jeff Perry, she made her film debut in ''Deception'' (2008) and had a supporting role in the independent drama film '' The Loss of a Teardrop D ...
. In Seasons 4 and 5, Brenda Sparks and George Cooper (
Lance Barber Lance Barber (born June 29, 1973) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his main role as Paulie G on the HBO sitcom '' The Comeback'' (2005; 2014), which was followed with a starring role in the film '' The Godfather of Green Bay'' (200 ...
) experience a closer relationship that culminates at the end of season 5 with Brenda propositioning George. Beginning in 2019, Peterman hosted the
comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
''Punch Line,'' where two teams of comedians try to supply
punchlines ''Punchlines'' was a comedy panel game show that aired on ITV from 3 January 1981 to 22 December 1984, hosted by Lennie Bennett. The show was based on a failed 1979 American game show pilot of the same name hosted by Bill Cullen, which, in tur ...
to various
headlines The headline is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th century when incre ...
. She has also been a recurring guest star on the syndicated game show ''
25 Words or Less ''25 Words or Less'' is a party board game in which two teams of players take turns bidding words back and forth, until one team allows the other to try to give that number of clues to their team to try guessing five words from a card in only o ...
,'' and in 2022, began hosting the game show '' Person, Place or Thing'', a spin-off of the classic game Twenty Questions. In 2020, Peterman began co-hosting with Reba McEntire on a new podcast titled ''Living & Learning.'' In 2024, it was announced that Peterman was cast in the Reba McEntire led sitcom, '' Happy's Place'' on
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
. It premiered on October 18, 2024. As of 2024, Peterman is also the main judge in a
Hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...
reality series ''
Finding Mr. Christmas ''Finding Mr. Christmas'' is an American reality competition television series that premiered on October 31, 2024, on Hallmark+. The series follows a group of men competing in various Christmas-themed challenges in order to win the title of Mr. Chr ...
''.


Personal life

Peterman married John Brady in 1999, and they have a son, Riley, born in 2005. Peterman works with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, a nonprofit organization helping at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area.


Filmography


Film


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peterman, Melissa 1971 births Living people American game show hosts American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Minnesota Big Machine Records artists People from Burnsville, Minnesota Comedians from Minnesota American women comedians