Who was Barry Kripke in The Big Bang Theory? Character explored in detail

Created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, The Big Bang Theory, is a sitcom that aired for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. The show garnered mixed reviews in the first season, but over time, it became one of the most celebrated sitcoms of the modern television. Starring Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, and others, The Big Bang Theory, focused on four geeky and nerdy friends, namely, Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj.

While Leonard and Sheldon are physicists at Caltech, Howard and Raj are an aerospace engineer and an astrophysicist respectively. Their lives turn upside down when they come across Penny, who is a waitress and an aspiring actress, and lives in the apartment across the hall from Sheldon and Leonard. Over the course of 12 seasons, the five build bonds of friendship and love, and handle, life, love, and relationships.

The Big Bang Theory became a hit with its successive seasons and has many dialogues and moments that have become a pop culture staple. The show has many interesting characters, including those in supporting roles and Barry Kripke is one of them.

Who was Barry Kripke in The Big Bang Theory?

Played by John Ross Bowie, Barry Kripke, Ph.D., is a Caltech plasma physicist, who is also a string theorist, and a colleague of Sheldon and Leonard. Interestingly, his character has a case of rhotacism and he pronounces R and L as W. He is also a friend to Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Amy.

Barry Kripke’s character first made an appearance in The Big Bang Theory in a Season 2 episode titled, “The Killer Robot Instability.” And he has been a constant character throughout the 12-season show, only being amiss in the show’s first season. In the Season 2 episode, he pitted his robot Kripke Krippler against the guys’ robot. Barry even ridiculed Leonard’s unsuccessful anti-proton decay experiment, while Sheldon tried to become his friend to gain access to an open science grid computer. However, Kripke had no say in who used the computer. Kripke tried to hit on Penny but disgusted her with his ill habits and decided that he will call Penny, Woxanne/Roxanne.

Other memorable moments of Barry Kripke from The Big Bang Theory

Some of Barry Kripke’s most memorable moments in The Big Bang Theory, over the seasons, includes, when he appeared in Season 3 and mocked Sheldon for his retraction regarding his monopolar blunder and this led to a rivalry between the two. In retaliation, Sheldon dumped foam over Kripke and the plasma lab. This rivalry carried on over a few sseasons, becoming the subject of many episodes.

In Season 5, Barry Kripke argues with Sheldon over who will win Robb Rothman’s office and challenging Sheldon to a basketball match. Both of them turn out to play badly and Sheldon wins the match, and the office, by a slight margin. In Season 9, Kripke attends Sheldon’s birthday and flirts with Leonard’s mother, who likes the attention but which annoys Leonard.

Finally, in the last season, Kripke helps Amy and Sheldon by telling them that Greg Pemberton, one of their Nobel Prize rivals, had plagiarized his college thesis. While Amy and Sheldon refuse to take his help, Leonard accepts the offer for them and gets the evidence. In the end, Kevin Campbell and Pemberton betray each other and the latter loses his job. Barry Kripke also uses a fake Swedish accent and prank calls Sheldon, making him think that he won the Nobel Prize.

Kripke's character starts off as someone who makes fun of the gang, but over the course of the show, he grows to share a more friendly bond with the gang.

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The Big Bang Theory is available on Netflix.

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