# Beth Behrs
**Beth Behrs** (birth name Elizabeth Ann Behrs, born 1985) is an American actress best known for playing Caroline Channing on the CBS sitcom *2 Broke Girls* (2011) and [Gemma Johnson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gemma-johnson) on the CBS sitcom *The Neighborhood*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3396631/bio/) • [2](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/beth-behrs-the-neighborhood-ending-former-ep-reflected-on-audition-made-her-sitcom-star) Between the two series she spent roughly fourteen consecutive years as a CBS comedy lead.[2](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/beth-behrs-the-neighborhood-ending-former-ep-reflected-on-audition-made-her-sitcom-star)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as Elizabeth Ann Behrs[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3396631/bio/) |
| Training | American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco; UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, graduated 2008[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3396631/bio/) • [3](https://dailybruin.com/2010/01/03/alumna-makes-film-debut) |
| Breakthrough role | Caroline Channing on *2 Broke Girls*, won after auditioning seven times while working as a nanny[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) |
| Series runs | *2 Broke Girls*, six seasons on CBS; *The Neighborhood*, which CBS confirmed would end with its eighth season[2](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/beth-behrs-the-neighborhood-ending-former-ep-reflected-on-audition-made-her-sitcom-star) |
| Film credits | Voice work in *Monsters University*, the Chinese animated film *Boonie Bears: The Big Shrink*, and the independent comedy *Hello, My Name Is Doris*[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs) |
| Off-screen work | Co-founder of SheHerdPower, an equine therapy program for survivors of sexual assault, established in 2017[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs) |
## Early life and education
Behrs was born in [Lancaster, Pennsylvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/lancaster-pennsylvania), the eldest of two sisters, and was raised by a teacher mother and a college-administrator father. The family lived first in Lancaster, then in [Lynchburg, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynchburg-virginia), before moving to Marin County, just outside San Francisco, when she was 15.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3396631/bio/) • [4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) She began performing in theater productions by age four, after watching [Julie Andrews](https://www.edgepedia.org/julie-andrews) in *The Sound of Music* and telling her mother she wanted to do the same; because she could not yet read, her mother whispered audition lines for her to repeat.[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) • [3](https://dailybruin.com/2010/01/03/alumna-makes-film-debut)
**Training.** She continued drama in high school and studied at the [American Conservatory Theater](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-conservatory-theater) in San Francisco, appearing in a number of plays, then enrolled at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3396631/bio/) While at UCLA she was named Miss Marin County of 2006 and earned a vocal scholarship, and she graduated from the school in 2008.[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) • [3](https://dailybruin.com/2010/01/03/alumna-makes-film-debut) In her senior year she sang for Julie Andrews herself while auditioning for the Rodgers and Hammerstein U.S. tour that Andrews was directing and starring in.[3](https://dailybruin.com/2010/01/03/alumna-makes-film-debut)
## First roles
Her first film role was as the lead character Heidi in *American Pie Presents: The Book of Love*, the seventh installment of the franchise, released directly to home video on December 22, 2009; the Daily Bruin described it as her film debut.[3](https://dailybruin.com/2010/01/03/alumna-makes-film-debut) She also did independent features and guest shots on television, including appearances on the CBS drama *NCIS*.[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) • [6](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/beth-behrs-discusses-new-show-2-broke-girls/)
## 2 Broke Girls
Behrs won the role of Caroline Channing on *2 Broke Girls*, a CBS sitcom created by [Michael Patrick King](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-patrick-king) and [Whitney Cummings](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitney-cummings) that ran for six seasons.[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) • [5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs) She auditioned seven times for the part while working as a nanny, and the show's creator later recalled that she came into the production without established credits, opposite the already-known [Kat Dennings](https://www.edgepedia.org/kat-dennings).[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) • [2](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/beth-behrs-the-neighborhood-ending-former-ep-reflected-on-audition-made-her-sitcom-star)
The series paired two waitresses at a Brooklyn diner: Max Black (Dennings), street-smart and working two jobs, and Caroline Channing, born rich but left penniless after her father was caught operating a [Ponzi scheme](https://www.edgepedia.org/ponzi-scheme), with the two building toward opening a cupcake shop.[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/beth-behrs-discusses-new-show-2-broke-girls/) • [7](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2016/may/20/kt.pdf) Behrs said the premise connected with audiences during the economic slump of the period, and that the chemistry with Dennings was instant; the two became close friends off screen.[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/beth-behrs-discusses-new-show-2-broke-girls/) In the show's later seasons the characters moved from the cupcake business into a line of cupcake-themed t-shirts, and Behrs described the series' physical comedy, in which she and Dennings fight other women in a vat of dye, as a throwback to Lucy and Ethel.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/2-broke-girls-star-beth-behrs-on-fourth-season-and-new-venture/)
## The Neighborhood
After *2 Broke Girls*, Behrs joined *The Neighborhood*, a CBS comedy starring [Cedric the Entertainer](https://www.edgepedia.org/cedric-the-entertainer), Max Greenfield, and [Tichina Arnold](https://www.edgepedia.org/tichina-arnold), in which she plays Gemma Johnson, the wife of Dave Johnson (Greenfield).[9](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/neighborhood-the) • [10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/say-yes-destress) CBS confirmed that the show's eighth season, which premiered in October 2025, would be its last, giving the series a full season to build to a finale.[2](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/beth-behrs-the-neighborhood-ending-former-ep-reflected-on-audition-made-her-sitcom-star) Behrs said she was drawn to the show's approach to stories about racial differences, and that a deep friendship with Tichina Arnold grew into ongoing conversations about race and culture off screen as well as on.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/say-yes-destress)
## Other screen and stage work
Behrs supplied one of the voices for the Disney-Pixar film *Monsters University* and appeared in the comedy-drama *Hello, My Name Is Doris* with [Sally Field](https://www.edgepedia.org/sally-field) and [Max Greenfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-greenfield), her later *The Neighborhood* co-star; her film credits also include the Chinese animated film *Boonie Bears: The Big Shrink*.[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) • [5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs) She made her New York stage debut in Halley Feiffer's play *A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City*, and has performed at [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center) with the New York Philharmonic and at the Geffen Playhouse, where she serves as a board member.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs)
## Writing and advocacy
In 2017 Behrs published the health and wellness book *The Total ME-Tox: How to Ditch Your Diet, Move Your Body & Love Your Life*, and she is a co-creator and co-writer of the digital comic series *Dents*, which ran for two seasons on the LINE Webtoon platform.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs)
**SheHerdPower.** Her passion for horse riding led her to co-found SheHerdPower in 2017, a nonprofit equine therapy program giving survivors of sexual assault immersive healing programs working with horses.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs) • [11](https://tobemagnetic.com/expanded-podcast/2018/ep-14-beth-behrs) She has said she discovered equine therapy while working on *2 Broke Girls*, whose character Caroline owned a horse named Chestnut, and that after two weeks of equine therapy her anxiety, which she has experienced since childhood, dropped; her rescue mustang mare Belle is credited by the foundation as the catalyst behind the organization.[10](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/say-yes-destress) • [12](https://sheherdpower.squarespace.com/team-gallery/) She also supports the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and The Rape Foundation, work that earned her a Television Industry Advocacy Award in 2015 and the ASPCA Compassion Award in 2016.[5](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs) • [12](https://sheherdpower.squarespace.com/team-gallery/)
Off screen, Behrs is married to actor Michael Gladis of *Mad Men*.[4](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf) She has also worked on songwriting, traveling to Nashville to develop the craft during her *2 Broke Girls* years.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/2-broke-girls-star-beth-behrs-on-fourth-season-and-new-venture/)
## References
1. [Beth Behrs – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3396631/bio/)
2. [With Beth Behrs' Time On The Neighborhood Ending, Her Former EP Reflected On The Audition That Made Her A Sitcom Star, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/beth-behrs-the-neighborhood-ending-former-ep-reflected-on-audition-made-her-sitcom-star)
3. [Alumna makes film debut, Daily Bruin (January 3, 2010)](https://dailybruin.com/2010/01/03/alumna-makes-film-debut)
4. [All About... Beth Behrs, Sun Newspapers, November 24–30, 2019](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/43/97/00192/11-23-2019.pdf)
5. [Beth Behrs bio, Paramount Press Express / CBS Entertainment](https://www.paramountpressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/talent/?view=beth-behrs)
6. [Beth Behrs Discusses New Show, "2 Broke Girls," CBS Philadelphia (September 22, 2011)](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/beth-behrs-discusses-new-show-2-broke-girls/)
7. [2 Broke Girls program listing, Kuwait Times (May 20, 2016)](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2016/may/20/kt.pdf)
8. ["2 Broke Girls" star Beth Behrs on fourth season and new venture, CBS News (November 6, 2014)](https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/2-broke-girls-star-beth-behrs-on-fourth-season-and-new-venture/)
9. [The Neighborhood, Paramount Global Content](https://paramountglobalcontent.com/title/neighborhood-the)
10. [Say Yes to Destress, Television Academy (August 4, 2021)](https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/news/mix/say-yes-destress)
11. [Expanded x Ep. 14 – Beth Behrs, Actress and Activist, To Be Magnetic](https://tobemagnetic.com/expanded-podcast/2018/ep-14-beth-behrs)
12. [Team Members, SheHerdPower Foundation](https://sheherdpower.squarespace.com/team-gallery/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Be to Bl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license