• Melissa Peterman is an American actress, comedian, and TV host
• She is perhaps best known for her roles in Reba (2001-2007) and Young Sheldon (2018-2022)
• She is married to actor John Brady and they have a son, Riley David (born 2005)
• She is a close friend of Reba McEntire and JoAnna Garcia Swisher and is involved in humanitarian work
• She is known for her struggle with her weight and credits her personal trainer and a healthy diet for her weight loss

Who is Melissa Peterman?

Melissa Peterman is an American actress, comedian, and TV host, perhaps best known to the world as Barbra Jean in the TV series “Reba” (2001-2007), and recently as Brenda Sparks in the TV series “Young Sheldon” (2018-2022), among other roles that she has secured in her career.

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Melissa Peterman Wiki: Age, Childhood, and Education

Melissa Margaret Peterman was born on 1 July 1971, in Edina, Minnesota, US, the daughter of Allan Peterman and Pamela Diane, and of German, Swedish and Scottish ancestry, Melissa grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota, where she attended Burnsville High School, and after matriculation, enrolled at Minnesota State University, Mankato, graduating with a BA and a major in theater.

Career Beginnings

Melissa then launched her career as she was selected for the part of Madeline Monroe in Hey City Theater’s production of the play “Tony & Tina’s Wedding”. Six hundred performances later, Melissa was selected as one of the Brave New Workshop members, which is the improvisational comedy theatre in Minneapolis.

During her time with the workshop, Melissa performed at the Chicago Improv Festival and the Big Stink Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas.

After a few years performing in comedy clubs, Peterman made her film debut as Hooker #2 in the Academy Award-winning crime-thriller “Fargo” (1996), written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, starring William H. Macy, Frances McDormand and Steve Buscemi. She guest starred in the TV series “Just Shoot Me” (1997), before being cast in the role of Barbra Jean in the TV comedy series “Reba”, about a single mother of three who tries to live her life to the full in a Houston suburb; the series starred Reba McEntire, JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Steve Howey, and Melissa featured in 121 episodes of the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated series, which launched her to stardom.

While working on “Reba”, Melissa made several other notable appearances. She was Mrs Sheila Cain in the comedy film “How High” (2001), and starred in the 2003 television comedy movie “Recipe for Disaster”, alongside John Larroquette and Lesley Ann Warren.

Furthermore, in 2006, she portrayed an unstable guidance counselor Mrs Splitz in the TV comedy series “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide”.

Continued Success

In 2009 she was Mrs Muncie in the TV series “Surviving Suburbia”, and the same year also portrayed Jennifer in the short-lived TV series “Rita Rocks”.

In 2010 she was chosen for the part of Candy in the TV comedy series “Pretty the Series”, which follows the adventures of the Champagne family, starring Dee Freeman, Stace McQueen and Sam Pancake.

‘Baby Daddy’ and Recent Projects

Melissa secured one of her most prominent roles in her career in 2012, when she was selected for the part of Bonnie Wheeler in the TV comedy series “Baby Daddy”. The series revolves around a 20-something bartender who becomes an unlikely father when his ex-girlfriend leaves a baby on his doorstep. The series starred Jean-Luc Bilodeau and Derek Theler, while Melissa’s character was set to appear only in one episode, but was promoted to the series’ main cast as fans fell in love with her character.

Bonnie is a loud, outgoing dramatic character with a drinking problem and a mother to the series’ main protagonist, Benjamin Bon Jovi ‘Ben’ Wheeler. Melissa starred in all episodes of the critically acclaimed until its end in 2017.

She featured in several other projects while working on “Baby Daddy”, including the romantic comedy film “Muffin Top: A Love Story”, with Cathryn Michon, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Diedrich Bader in the lead roles. Then in 2015, she guest-starred in the medical drama “General Hospital”.

After “Baby Daddy” ended, Melissa secured the role of Brenda Sparks, an unfriendly neighbor of the Coopers in the TV comedy series “Young Sheldon”, a spin-off from the TV series “The Big Bang Theory”. The series focuses on Sheldon’s unusual upbringing in Texas, and what he faced as a child at a university.

Melissa’s characteris the family’s neighbor and has a love-hate relationship with Mary Cooper, Sheldon’s mother. She is married, but when her husband leaves her, she starts a forbidden romance with Sheldon’s father, George Sr. So far, Melissa has appeared in 28 episodes of the award-winning series, which stars Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry and Lance Barber.

To speak further of her accomplishments, Melissa portrayed Celia Powers in the TV comedy series “Last Man Standing” (2019-2020), then she was Mrs Harris in the TV series “Sydney to the Max” (2019-2020), and most recently starred in William Butler’s family adventure “My Babysitter the Superhero”. and is working on the biopic thriller-drama film “The Hammer” about the death of the former district judge and her successor Kim Wheeler, co-starring Reba McEntire and Rex Linn.

Television Host

Additional to her acting career, Melissa is a television host – she first hosted the comedy show “15 Minutes of Fame”, then served as the host of the show “The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long”.

In 2009 she was the host of the show “The Singing Bee”, while ten years later, Melissa hosted the comedy game show “Punch Line”. To speak further of her accomplishments as a host, she teamed up with Reba McEntire to host the podcast “Living & Learning” (2020). Most recently, she was announced as the host of the game show “Person, Place, or Thing”, which airs on the Fox network.

Net Worth

According to sources, Melissa Peterman’s wealth is estimated at over $8 million as of late 2022, earned through her acting and hosting career.

Personal Life, Dating, Married, Husband, Children

Melissa has been married to actor John Brady since 5 June 1999., having met in 1997. Since the wedding ceremony, they’ve welcomed a son, Riley David, born on 20 October 2005.

Appearance and Vital Statistics

Melissa Peterman has blonde hair and blue eyes. She stands at a height of 5ft 10ins (1.78m), weighs approximately 1450lbs (67kgs), with vital statistics of 36-30-37, bra size 40B.

Hobbies, Interests, and Trivia

She is a close friend of Reba McEntire and JoAnna Garcia Swisher; she served as the bridesmaid at JoAnna’s wedding, alongside Reba.

Melissa is known for her humanitarian work. She’s closely connected with The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company, a non-profit organization that focuses on helping at-risk youth living in the Los Angeles area.

Moreover, she works closely with the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center and the City of Hope. She actively supports the David Foster Foundation too, which helps families with children needing an organ transplant.

Melissa has struggled with a few extra pounds, but her weight loss has been noticed. She credits this to her personal trainer, and a healthy diet that includes organic egg omelets, spinach, and fruits instead of cheese and bacon.

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