Who is Stuart Bloom in The Big Bang Theory?

Show

The Big Bang Theory

Played by

Kevin Sussman

First episode

“The Hofstadter Isotope”Season 2, Episode 20, aired April 13, 2009

Role

Main cast

Network

CBS

Occupation

Comic book store owner

Show run

2007 to 2019

Also known as

Stuart David Bloom

Stuart Bloom runs the comic book store that Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj treat as a second home. Played by Kevin Sussman, he is a talented artist with terrible luck, and his gloomy one-liners made him one of The Big Bang Theory's most lovable supporting players.

On The Big Bang Theory, Stuart Bloom's story runs through Raj Koothrappali (Best Friend), Howard Wolowitz (Friend and Roommate), Bernadette Rostenkowski (Roommate), Penny (Former Date), Amy Farrah Fowler (Former Date), and Sheldon Cooper (Regular Customer).

Who is Stuart Bloom?

Stuart owns the Comic Center, the Pasadena shop where the guys buy their weekly comics and argue about superheroes. He trained as an artist at the Rhode Island School of Design and can draw a striking portrait, but his dream of a career in comics never took off, so he sells them instead. The store is his whole life, and for long stretches it is barely keeping him afloat.

He starts out as a friendly face behind the counter in season two and becomes a fixture of the gang over the following decade. Stuart is mild, polite, and a little sad, the kind of friend who always seems to show up when there is free food or a spare seat on the couch.

Personality and comedy

Stuart's comedy runs on quiet misery. He drops grim little details about his health, his finances, and his loneliness into ordinary conversation, and he says them so calmly that the room does not know whether to laugh or call someone. He is often broke, often single, and often sleeping somewhere he should not be.

Underneath the gloom he is kind and easy to like. He has slightly better social skills than the core group, which lets him play the straight man when the others go overboard, and he is always grateful to be included. That mix of sweetness and self pity made him a fan favorite, even though the show rarely gave him the spotlight for long.

Key storylines

Stuart's first big moment is asking Penny out, which drives Leonard into a jealous spiral. They go on two dates, and the second ends when Penny accidentally calls him Leonard. Years later he asks Amy out, and the date pushes a jealous Sheldon to finally ask Amy to be his girlfriend. Stuart keeps ending up as the man who helps other couples get together.

When a fire destroys the comic book store at the end of season seven, Howard hires him to look after his mother, and Stuart becomes unexpectedly close to Mrs. Wolowitz, moving into her house. After she dies, he stays on with Howard and Bernadette and becomes an extra pair of hands with their kids. His luck finally turns late in the series: Neil Gaiman tweets about the store, business booms, and Stuart hires an assistant manager, Denise. After the two kiss at Sheldon and Amy's wedding reception, he finally asks her out, and near the end of the series they decide to move in together.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Kevin Sussman began as a recurring guest in season two. He is credited as a recurring player in seasons two through five and seven, and as main cast in season six and again from season eight through the final season twelve, which is why Stuart counts as Main on Sitcomdle.

Stuart's popularity outlasted the original show. He is the lead of Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, a Big Bang Theory spinoff that premiered on HBO Max in July 2026, with Sussman reprising the role alongside Lauren Lapkus as Denise.

Stuart Bloom: frequently asked questions

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