Stuart Bloom is a middle-aged man who owns a comic book store in The Big Bang Theory. He only appeared a few times in the earlier episodes before becoming a full-time cast member later on, starting in season six.
As the seasons went on, we learned a lot about Stuart. This lonely man really only wanted a hot shower and a plate of food at the end of the day — he never asked for much. He luckily became friends with our favorite members of The Big Bang Theory, and even though they didn’t include him in many activities, we saw him open up more the closer they became.
While Stuart took his pain and misfortunes in stride, we can’t help but notice all the hard times he endured throughout 12 seasons. From a failing business to no place to sleep, we found 10 times we really felt bad for “Stewie.”
When He Found Out He Was A ‘Test’ Friend For Sheldon & Amy’s Brunch
I think the biggest turning point in Stuart’s relationship with the gang was when Sheldon and Amy threw a “test brunch,” meaning a brunch thrown for random people to prepare themselves for brunch with their “real” friends.
In this group was Bert from the geology lab, their neighbor who didn’t speak English, and Stuart. After Sheldon’s comments, Stuart quickly realized they didn’t see him as a dear friend, which upset him deeply (something we don’t see often from Stuart without a hint of comedy). Thankfully, Sheldon and Stuart patched things up and the two became closer in their own way.
When His Comic Shop Burned Down
In the season seven finale, we find Sheldon going through a hard time dealing with the changes going on in his life. When he wanders to his happy place (i.e. the comic shop), he finds it in ruins. Stuart looks disheveled and tells Sheldon there was a fire. Sheldon doesn’t want to acknowledge the fact that everything around him is changing, and it upsets Stuart that all he’s thinking about is himself. Sheldon eventually leaves, but poor Stuart now had to rebuild from scratch and had no warm place to stay.
And When No One But Howard’s Mom Let Him Move In
It’s no real surprise that Stuart admitted to sleeping in the comic book shop sometimes; it was a warm place to stay after all. After everything went downhill for him, Howard and Bernadette suggested him taking care of his mother after she had fallen ill. Loving his new “job,” Howard’s mom invites him to live with her where the two grew a strong bond.
Sadly, Mrs. Wolowitz later dies and Stuart is left thinking about the fact that she was the only one who took him in. “One of us would have taken you in,” Amy tells him. “Yeah, I don’t recall any offers,” replies Stuart matter-of-factly.
When He Actually Had A Shot With Penny And She Called Him The Wrong Name
As gorgeous as Penny was (and as vain as she can be at times), she really did give every single person a chance at wooing her. From going to the People Magazine event with Raj to being taken back by Stuart — maybe Penny wasn’t as conceited as we thought.
Back in the earlier seasons, the gang takes Penny to the comic book shop where she first meets Stuart. He—somehow—has oodles of charm in this moment and it’s enough to work! He draws her a picture and asks her on a few dates, to which she says yes! It all ends horribly though when the two were making out and she calls Stuart “Leonard.” Whoops!
When He Finally Got Amy Out On A Date (And Sheldon Hijacked It)
After taking Penny on a few dates, Stuart gets the courage to ask Amy on a date, too! We can’t say the man doesn’t try because he definitely shoots his shot. Nevertheless, at this point, Amy has been in a strange, cosmic relationship with Sheldon. But after he won’t “fully” commit to her, she decides to take Stuart up on his offer to go on a date.
Later on, of course, it bothers Sheldon that his woman is on a date with another man. He then bombards their movie date and asks her to be his girlfriend with Stuart sitting right next to them. Amy agrees and then continues to sit through the date with Stuart - awkward much?
When He Only Went To Sheldon’s To Have A Hot Shower
In the episode “The Toast Derivation,” Sheldon is sick of his best buddies Leonard, Raj, and Howard. To prove he can find other friends that are just as great, he invites Stuart, Barry Kripke (co-worker), and Penny’s ex-boyfriend Zach over. The new gang ends up singing karaoke together, with Stuart only attending this weird hangout because Sheldon had hot water to take a shower… Poor Stuart.
When His Shrink Killed Himself (Because Of Stuart)
In the episode, “The Friendship Contraction,” Stuart talks about the hard time he’s having. Throughout the seasons, he’s made a few remarks about his therapist.
However, in this particular episode, he tells everyone he’s had a rough day because his shrink died. Not only that, but the shrink killed himself and blamed Stuart in the note! Is Stuart’s life that depressing that someone had to kill themselves because of it?
When He Wasn’t Asked To Join The Scavenger Hunt
“The Scavenger Vortex” was one of the best episodes of The Big Bang Theory. It all started when Raj wanted to put together a scavenger hunt for his friends to see who would come out on top, pairing everyone off in bizarre ways. Penny was with Leonard, Leonard was with Bernadette, and Amy was with Howard. The strange partners are what made this episode so funny, but it wasn’t all fun and games.
After Raj asks Stuart if he could use his comic book shop as a clue in his hunt, Stuart asks if the group ever thought of including him in any of their fun outings… You know, instead of just using him for his shop. It did make us wonder why Raj didn’t think to include Stuart though.
When Stuart Finally Has A Place To Call Home And Is Picked On By Howard For It
Stuart never really talks about having a home of his own. He’s always sleeping in his comic book shop or crashing on someone’s couch. His luck finally changes when Howard and Bernadette ask Stuart if he can take care of Mrs. Wolowitz.
After succeeding at the job and becoming close to “Deb,” she asks Stuart to move in. He finally has his own bed, a heater, and a hot shower! This doesn’t come easily though because Howard is infuriated that Stuart is living in his childhood home and seems to have an inappropriate relationship with his mother. Just let the man live, Howard!
When The Gang Doesn’t Invite Him To Vegas
Everyone knows that when Sheldon is sick, the world revolves around him. He needs everyone’s attention and all the hands he can get — which is why everyone runs away from him when he’s sick. However, after rubbing everyone the wrong way after having the flu, the gang needed to get away.
Choosing to flee to Las Vegas, they tell Sheldon he can’t come because his apologies weren’t sincere. Stuart, for once, is actually invited on the Vegas trip, but after Sheldon was kicked off the bus, he brought Stuart with him! Why should Stuart have to suffer just because Sheldon is? After Sheldon gets invited back on the bus, he then tells Stuart not to come! Can this poor man ever catch a break?
