Tragic Details About 2 Broke Girls Star Beth Behrs

Beth Behrs made a name for herself starring alongside her friend Kat Dennings on the hit sitcom "2 Broke Girls," and the similarities between her and her character, Caroline Channing, extend beyond having namely alliterations.

The actor's six years on the show from 2011 to 2017 quite literally launched her career, as it was one of the first major on-screen roles Behrs booked. She has since appeared in several other projects, including the feature film "Hello, My Name is Doris" in 2015. In 2018, she began starring in sitcom "The Neighborhood," which Behrs dished about to The List. As far as her personal life goes, the stunning Behrs is married to "Mad Men" actor Michael Gladis. Together, they share a daughter named Emma Gladis.

Despite the fame and acclimation she has received as a comedic actor and her happy family life, Behrs wasn't always laughing her way to the top. She's been open about the therapeutic results of equine therapy and how it has helped her overcome her crippling anxiety, not being taken seriously by doctors even as a celebrity simply because of her age and gender, and the struggles she faced before making it big in Hollywood. Here are some tragic details about Beth Behrs.

Beth Behrs was method acting before she even booked "2 Broke Girls." In a 2021 appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," she detailed her own tale of rags to riches. The actor attended UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television and graduated in 2008, and let's just say, the City of Angels wasn't always particularly kind to her.

A few years and several simultaneous full-time jobs later, Behrs went into her first audition for "2 Broke Girls." She expressed how she wore cowboy boots for it. Michael Patrick King, the series' creator, advised her that a pair of pumps would be more fitting for reading the role of former rich girl Caroline Channing.

So for her screen test, Behrs bought an outfit at Nordstrom — including a new pair of heels — with the intention to return it all as soon as she walked out the door. "When Michael hugged me at my screen test, he's like, 'Are there tags all over your clothes?' And I was like, 'Well, yes, because if I don't get this job, I have to return all the clothes. I can't afford them,'" she said to Barrymore. The rest, as they say, is history.

Naturally, when Beth Behrs struggled to make ends meet, a nutritious, organic diet wasn't always accessible. However, for a while when she started working on the sitcom, she hadn't adapted her lifestyle to adjust to her growing paycheck. Poor nutrition did not bode well for Behrs' skin.

She expressed to People in a 2017 interview how her routine had caught up to her. "I was eating funnel cakes and doughnuts every day and not working out, and I ended up getting a stress virus rash that covered my whole body," Behrs said. The infection served as a wake-up call for the working actor, and the lifestyle changes she made prompted her to write a book about her journey and encourage others to take charge of their health, "The Total ME-Tox: How to Ditch Your Diet, Move Your Body & Love Your Life." 

In the book, Behrs detailed how meditation and obtainable diet and exercise had transformed her life, and it doesn't need to be outrageous and unobtainable trends or fads: "I hope every person who reads it just gets one tip — that's my ultimate goal ...The whole point of the book from the beginning was to help my fans and followers. Hopefully it's helpful and inspiring."

Life imitates art, Horse Girl edition. Of all the things "2 Broke Girls" watchers didn't notice on the show, they likely remember Caroline Channing being a horse owner (given that her horse, Chestnut, often made appearances in and around the New York City apartment). Beth Behrs likely didn't have to dig too deep to find love for horses when she was playing Caroline, as they have been and continue to be a major part of her life and her philanthropy.

Behrs has been open about having anxiety and suffering from panic attacks, but found that being around the gentle giants was beneficial. From that, she figured if horses could help her, they would help other women as well. In an interview with Sidelines Magazine, Behrs expressed, "If you're trying to mask how you're feeling, whether you're sad, fearful or angry from your drive on the way to the barn, horses won't connect with you because you're not being authentic. ... I learned that no matter how I was feeling, if I showed up as myself at that moment in time, I'd connect with the horses. It became so empowering to realize the power of being authentic."

This epiphany led Behrs and her sister to be two of the co-founders of SheHerdPower, an equine psychotherapy foundation aimed to help women who have survived sexual assault. The foundation's "Vision" webpage says, "Many victims have been bullied and shamed into silence. SheHerdPower's programs are about reclaiming that inner voice — which hopes to help prosecute perpetrators, establish consequences, and overcome the terrifying statistics."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Beth Behrs faced the heartbreaking loss of her dog, Betty, in July 2024. She shared the bittersweet moment with a post on Instagram with a series of photos of the Yorkie.

In the caption, the "Monsters University" actor wrote that Betty lived to be 13, and that the pup had been by Behrs' side for all of her biggest milestones. Behrs continued, "She taught me how to be a mother. I'll never forget the moment I booked 2 Broke Girls being so happy because I could finally afford to have a dog (vet bills are not cheap). I'm so grateful for the unconditional love she gave my family and all the memories."

The carousel post included a collage of some adorable photos of Betty, along with some other sweet snapshots and a tearful video of Behrs talking about Betty's passing. However, Behrs hadn't lost her sense of humor in a time of tragedy, as there was a video front and center of the pooch ferociously dry-humping a stuffed animal.

Years before getting a proper diagnosis, Beth Behrs dealt with symptoms of being perimenopausal. Since she was about 35, she'd been having severe hot flashes; fatigue; brain fog so intense it affected her work; an abnormally heavy menstrual cycle; and her aforementioned anxiety and panic attacks. Behrs eventually put the pieces together with some advice from other women and figured out the prognosis. The struggle was getting doctors to believe her. 

The actor opened up to Glamour in a 2024 interview about the journey she went through to get the diagnosis, saying, "It's been a three-year journey trying to figure out what was going on with me and not getting answers. But nobody's first thought is perimenopause when you're this young." She continued, "I would go see doctors, get ultrasounds, and was always told, 'You're fine.' Or, specifically from male doctors, 'You're too young for perimenopause.' But I knew something wasn't right. And now I know that, no, your late 30s is not 'too young.'"

Finally, the clouds parted when Behrs was introduced to a female gynecologist. She was able to get properly medicated and learned how to manage her symptoms. One way was with a protein-rich diet and eating around every four hours, since Behrs felt previous years of disordered eating contributed to her perimenopause. She noted that not every day is easy, but the diagnosis provided some much-needed comfort and the ability for Behrs to take back control of her life. She closed the interview by referencing her "2 Broke Girls" character and stating, "And yeah, I may not be rocking those Louboutins as much anymore, but at least I know exactly what kind of wool sweater is not going to trigger a hot flash. And I'll take it."

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).