Despite being offered an eight-figure salary to reprise the role of Sheldon Cooper for additional seasons of The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons chose to leave the sitcom for good. While several factors contributed to his decision to part ways with the sitcom, which was CBS’ biggest cash cow since its inception back in 2007, the actor did reprise his role for its spin-off show.
While some might assume it was hypocritical on the actor’s part, there’s actually a very good explanation behind Parson’s decision to return to the role in Young Sheldon.
Jim Parsons’ Decision To Join Young Sheldon Made Complete Sense
Considering Jim Parsons has been leading the sitcom since 2007, after 12 seasons, he was stern with his decision to leave The Big Bang Theory. Apart from his dog’s death, another factor that contributed to this decision was the death of his father, who died at the age of 52. Being 46 himself at the time, Parsons wanted to slow things down and explore new grounds in the realm of entertainment and explained he couldn’t see himself taking a similar role to Sheldon in the future.
He told THR:
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.
However, despite his departure, he did reprise the part for Young Sheldon, as apart from a brief cameo, The Boys in the Band star also served as a narrator and an executive producer on the sitcom. Although his decision to reprise the iconic gig had some fans befuddled, there’s a very simple explanation behind it. Unlike his stint in the parent show, which required him to spend a major portion of his time, narrating on the other hand was more trouble-free.
From the business point of view, being credited as an executive producer on the spin-off ensured that Parsons would bag a handsome paycheck due to a loophole in the SAG-AFTRA contract. While being listed as a voice actor could limit his paycheck, the executive producer tag ensures he also gets paid the producer’s salary or residuals from the show. Not only it’s a good financial move, but no longer being at the center of a sitcom ensured Parsons could also explore other areas, which saw him starring in two acclaimed features, The Boys in the Band and Spoiler Alert.
The First Few Seasons of TBBT Were Rough on Jim Parsons
While it wasn’t until the penultimate season of the sitcom that his suspicions about parting ways with TBBT started to set in, Jim Parsons had a hard time making it through its initial seasons. Prior to Amy Farrah Fowler’s entry, who ensured he no longer had to take the weight of delivering scientific monologues alone, Parsons found himself physically and mentally struggling.
There were certain years we were worried about Jim because he started getting really skinny and was just clearly stressed out because the role itself, not just the fame, became very, very challenging
This also led to him quitting drinking for nine years, despite having no history of alcohol abuse. But apart from these few hiccups during the initial seasons, most of the ride was enthralling for the actor.
The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.
