14 Most Memorable Celebrity Appearances In The Big Bang Theory

Jimmy Henton
Jul 29, 2022
Jul 29, 2022

After 12 seasons, The Big Bang Theory is regarded as one of the longest-running sitcoms in history with 279 episodes from September 2007 to May 2019. The TV Show became the highest-rated comedy and bagged multiple awards. Character and situational relatability, story and character arcs, clever use of literary devices, and seamless pop culture references are all factors contributing to the success of the show.
However, celebrity guests are also a breath of fresh air in The Big Bang Theory. The show has invited multiple celebrity guests to the screen. From scientists and tech moguls to billionaires, the TV show always served up a good time with every cameo.
Today, we have compiled a list of 14 noteworthy celebrities' appearances that made the show all the more enjoyable and exciting. Scroll down and check them out!

#1 Bill Gates

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

Not only does Sheldon have antics with the famous people in the series, but Leonard also has his own antics! In the episode The Gates Excitation, Penny hosts a party for Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates when he was looking to partner with a pharmaceutical company. Leonard watched Bill Gates behind Penny's back and ended up blowing his nose into the tech mogul's tie.

#2 Stephen Hawking

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

A comedy with physics enthusiasts at its center wouldn't be worth it without the greatest theoretical physicist and scientist of his time, Stephen Hawking. He was featured in the series several times, but his most substantial cameo would be in the Hawking Excitation episode, where he went to Caltech in Pasadena for a lecture.

#3 Stan Lee

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer, © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

It’s no doubt that Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, and Howard are big fans of comic books. So when comic-book legend Stan Lee came to the show, everyone went crazy about it.
But Sheldon couldn’t meet Stan Lee at Stuart’s shop because of a scheduled appearance in court. Penny helps Sheldon meet Stan Lee by taking him to his house, but the legend was not too happy about it as Sheldon enters his house uninvited. The ending shows Sheldon receiving a restraining order from Stan Lee.

#4 Regina King

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

Actress Regina King has made several appearances on the show as Caltech's chief human resources officer, Mrs. She showed up every time they had a problem and was called to HR.

#5 Mark Hamill

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

In one of the most important moments in Sheldon’s life, who would be better to be there to create everything official other than the Jedi, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill? The Star Wars legend stood up to preside over Sheldon and Amy's wedding as a favor to Howard after returning Mark's lost dog.

#6 Buzz Aldrin

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin portrayed himself in the Holographic Excitation episode. He’s seen handing out candy to tricked kids during Halloween and bragging about being an astronaut - the same way Howard does to his friends.

#7 Kathy Bates

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

Multi-award-winning actress Kathy Bates portrayed Amy Farrah Fowler’s strict and conservative mother, Mrs. Fowler.

#8 Howie Mandell

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

When Howard went back home from space, he mistook Canadian comedian Howie Mandel’s fans for himself in the airport. The crowd was chanting “Howie, Howie!” signaling the arrival of the comedian, Howard then discovered that all those people weren’t referring to him.

#9 Neil Gaiman

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

Another noteworthy comic book-related cameo is English fantasy author Neil Gaiman. In the show, he is seen visiting Stuart's comic book store and trying to chat with a group of friends, but they are too busy to notice. Two days later, he complimented Stuart's shop on Twitter, which made the comic book store famous.

#10 Carrie Fisher and James Earl Jones

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

In this episode, the Big Bang Theory guys failed to get tickets to Comic-Con. The frustrated Sheldon came up with the idea to have his own Comic-Con and planned to invite celebrities. He ended up on a frantic night with Star Wars icon James Earl Jones, who portrayed himself, as they pranked another Star Wars legend, Carrie Fisher.

#11 Elon Musk

In the episode of The Platonic Permutation, Howard meets one of his biggest tech heroes, SpaceX founder, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. They met at a homeless shelter where they were serving Thanksgiving dinner.

#12 Sarah Michelle Gellar

In the series finale, as they teamed up with Amy and Sheldon to win the Nobel Prize in Sweden, Raj had a very special plus - Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Big Bang Theory’s showrunner, Steven Holland, shared that he’s been a fan of Buffy and thought of inviting her to do a cameo. He called her and found out that Sarah's family is a huge fan of the show, which made it even easier to make a cameo.

#13 Octavia Spencer

In the episode, The Euclid Alternative, award-winning actress Octavia Spencer portrayed a disinterested DMV worker when Sheldon used for a learner’s permit.

#14 Joe Manganiello and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Source: © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer, © The Big Bang Theory / Warner Bros. Television and co-producer

The Magic Mike star appeared as himself in the episode The D&D Vortex where he portrayed Dungeons and Dragons with basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Smith, William Shatner, and Wil Wheaton.

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