After playing Sheldon Cooper for 12 seasons straight, Jim Parsons finally bid goodbye to the iconic role back in 2019. Although the actor was reportedly offered a whopping sum of $50M to carry on for seasons 13 and 14, the actor was firm with his decision to leave the sitcom for good.
Parsons’ decision to retire from playing the character was motivated by several factors, especially the death of his 14-year-old dog, which left the actor grieving. But this wasn’t the lone factor that contributed to his departure, as his father’s death was also looming around his head.
The Age Gap Between Him and His Father Made Jim Parsons Ponder His Future
While Jim Parsons initially had suspicions about leaving the sitcom when he signed on for seasons 11 and 12, things started to solidify on his mind once the filming of season 11 wrapped up. Although the death of his dog led to a moment of clarity for the actor to not just keep speeding by and “use this time to take a look around”, his father’s death also played a crucial role in his departure.
Considering that his dad died at the age of 52, and Parsons was 46 when he was done with season 12, the age six-year gap made The Big Bang Theory star reconsider his future.
He said (via People):
I’m not superstitious or anything like that. It was just a context thing. It was clarity thrust upon you, as Shakespeare might have said. I didn’t know that I was searching for it but between the dog and the foot, I was just like … ‘Okay. Let’s take charge here.’
Following this reason, even a reported eight-figure-salary wasn’t tempting enough to bring the Home star on board, who wanted to take things slow after The Big Bang Theory.
Jim Parsons Wants To Be Surprised Moving Forward
As for his career moving forward, Parsons returned to TV to co-produce Call Me Kat and also featured in acclaimed features, including 2020’s The Boys in the Band and 2022’s Spoiler Alert. However, the actor has no plans of playing a character in a similar capacity like TBBT anytime soon, stressing that at this point in his career, he wants to be surprised and have new experiences.
At this point, no. It was a wonderful ride and I never disliked a day of it. But what my spirit has been craving is new people, new experiences. I exercised the muscles of an ensemble that went on for 12 years. Now I want to be surprised.
While we might not see him return in the iconic gig anytime soon if ever, following the success of Young Sheldon, CBS has now got the ball rolling in the next spin-off Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
