The Big Bang Theory is a long-running sitcom TV series starring four genius friends and their circle of friends. The four main guys all have their strengths and weaknesses. It’s clear that overall, the four guys have had a tough life. That includes Howard Wolowitz, portrayed by actor Simon Helberg.
Howard thinks he’s a slick ladies’ man and a star engineer, but his difficult childhood has been hard to shake. Even now, he has many issues and harsh realities to deal with in everyday life, despite how far he has come. Some of Howard’s issues are actually his own fault, while many others make him a victim of circumstance.
10 Howard Is Still Scarred By Abandonment
Some of Howard’s daily harsh realities are his own fault, but that doesn’t include his fear of abandonment. In his youth, Howard grew up in a relatively normal household. When he was 11 years old, his father simply vanished, and Howard hasn’t been in contact with Mr. Wolowitz since.
This is a deep emotional scar for Howard, and it never fully healed. This harsh reality doesn’t ruin every day of Howard’s adult life but he’ll still be reminded of this deep-seated issue. It’s an inner demon that pops up once in a while, and it’s never welcome. It also affected many of his relationships going forward.
9 Howard’s Mother Is Overbearing
One of the best running gags in The Big Bang Theory is Howard’s relationship with his off-screen mother, portrayed by the late Carol Ann Susi, who also appeared in That ’70s Show. Howard and his mother are quite close, but they don’t always act like it. In fact, they often yell at one another.
Mrs. Wolowitz is highly protective of her only son, and Howard finds it obnoxious and overbearing at times. He’s somewhat used to it, but he also complained about it during one of his first dates with Bernadette. Luckily, Bernadette knew exactly what he was going through.
8 Mrs. Wolowitz Passed Away Unexpectedly
Howard often callously joked about looking forward to his mother’s death so he would finally be free of her overbearing ways. When he received a grim phone call one day, he changed his tune at once. Howard’s mother had indeed passed away, and Howard was devastated by the news.
Howard managed to process his grief healthily, as did Mrs. Wolowitz’s daughter-in-law Bernadette. Still, Howard must live every day knowing that he can never speak to his mother or hear her voice, and that must be a serious burden for him.
7 Sheldon Constantly Mocks Howard
The main characters of The Big Bang Theory aren’t afraid to tease one another, such as commenting on Leonard’s short stature or poking fun at Penny for being a struggling waitress. In particular, Sheldon Cooper loves to put down Howard for being an engineer.
To almost anyone else, Howard is a genius, being an MIT graduate who has designed spaceworthy machines for NASA. Somehow, that’s not good enough for Sheldon. So, Howard must endure the constant mockery of his career, and Sheldon can’t be convinced to stop.
6 Howard Has An Unlucky Start To His Dating Life
Eventually, Howard met and married the love of his life, Bernadette, and they remained happily married with children. Until then, though, Howard often proved just how bad he was at dating women, even if he claimed to be a suave pickup artist.
Howard frequently tried and failed to impress girls at bars and clubs with his terrible jokes and magic tricks, and he was bewildered. His try-too-hard demeanor and desperation often shined through. When Leonard directly observed and criticized Howard’s technique, Howard wrongly claimed that Leonard was holding him back.
5 The Other Astronauts Bullied Him
Howard went on the journey of a lifetime into outer space, and he was a specialist aboard the International Space Station for a time. At first, Howard was thrilled to be living every budding astronaut’s dream, but it soon turned into a nightmare. In space, “no one could hear Howard scream.”
Howard was often bullied back home on Earth, and that trend continued in space. The other astronauts harassed Howard nonstop with latrine duty and a range of pranks and gags. Howard was driven to the brink and needed mediation to stabilize.
4 People Got Tired Of Hearing Howard’s Astronaut Story
After some delays, Howard finally made it back home to Earth, but the reception was colder than space itself. Howard kept visiting his friends to tell them about his trip, but he was unexpectedly early and no one was ready to listen to him. Some of Howard’s friends even pushed him away.
Howard later got a chance to tell the tale, but he got carried away and kept talking about it. Quickly, everyone got annoyed and bored with hearing his stories. This is partially Howard’s own fault, but no one can blame him for getting excited and talking about the best experience of his life. He felt terrible when his friends and wife told him to stop.
3 Bernadette Became Overbearing
Howard and Bernadette are deeply in love, but that doesn’t stop them from annoying one another. Oddly enough, Bernadette soon started acting more like Mrs. Wolowitz, before and after Mrs. Wolowitz’s death. Used to overbearing women and having someone do everything for him, Howard barely even noticed.
Bernadette eventually became a stern motherly figure for Howard, and she always seemed annoyed at him, which made Howard feel inadequate. At first, they treated one another like equals, but not for long.
2 Bernadette Makes Much More Than Him
Howard is proud of his wife’s solid career as a microbiologist, and he certainly congratulated her when she got her Ph.D. in one of Big Bang Theory‘s earlier seasons. Both Wolowitzes are successful in their chosen fields, but everyone thinks Bernadette is more successful overall.
Once in a while, Howard is teased for making less than his wife. Even Bernadette herself mocked Howard for this, claiming that her husband earned “peanuts” compared to her. It’s not clear exactly how much either of them actually makes, but Howard doesn’t like having his career and achievements undermined.
1 Raj Can Be Clingy At Times
As a whole, Howard and Raj have an excellent friendship, and they rely heavily on one another, especially before Howard got married. At times though, their friendship got awkward, and Raj would often become rather clingy and needy.
As a good friend, Howard won’t hesitate to support Raj. It must have been hard at times since Raj can often be melodramatic and require lots of assistance. This often bothers Howard and burns him out, but he won’t bail on Raj. He must put up with Raj’s needy side whenever it comes up.
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