While it was never explicitly explained if Sheldon was on the spectrum or not, there were several instances throughout The Big Bang Theory‘s 12-season run that alluded to it. Reflecting on this subject, Chuck Lorre, showrunner of the Jim Parsons-led sitcom, explained his reasoning for being against putting that label on the character.
Although the writers of the acclaimed sitcom had their fair share of reasons to leave things ambiguous, according to the lead, Sheldon most probably had Asperger’s Syndrome.
Jim Parsons Shared His Viewpoint on Sheldon’s Potential Asperger’s Syndrome
One of the reasons why Chuck Lorre was against putting a label on Sheldon Cooper was because of the responsibility that came with it. Leaving things ambiguous allowed them to interpret the character more freely, as officially incorporating a developmental disorder would have required the writers and Parson to be more authentic to a “very-real syndrome that can be difficult.”
In The Big Bang Theory book (via US Weekly), he said:
We did not want to put a label on Sheldon, because with that comes a responsibility of authenticity … which should be respected. I think not having a label gave Jim a great deal of more freedom to play the part as he wanted to play it, as opposed to how we might have been pressured to do for a very-real syndrome that can be difficult.
However, Jim Parsons doesn’t share the same viewpoint as Lorre, as upon reading more on Asperger’s, the Young Sheldon star found “Sheldon sure has a lot of the same traits.”
The more I read up on Asperger’s, I was like, Well, the writers can say no, but Sheldon sure has a lot of the same traits.
According to the actor, while the writers of the sitcom were eager to “celebrate and utilize certain aspects of someone on the spectrum”, they didn’t want to take full responsibility.
Chuck Lorre Didn’t Want To Do a 90-Degree With Sheldon’s Sexuality
During the sitcom’s initial seasons, Chuck Lorre championed the idea of Sheldon being asexual, stressing science was the only thing he was interested in, stating “Science was his mistress”. However, this eventually changed upon Mayim Bialik’s inclusion, who not only allowed Parsons to take a breather from delivering scientific monologues but also served as his eventual love interest.
Speaking of their relationship, the writers made sure to proceed gradually, as they didn’t want it to feel like a complete 90-degree turn. Lorre noted:
[When we] … eventually did enter Sheldon into a relationship … we did it very slowly, and in a way that made us feel like we hadn’t done a 90-degree turn at all.
As for Parsons, he wasn’t against the inclusion of a love interest in Sheldon’s life, stating that he easily accepted this aspect like he initially accepted Sheldon’s asexuality.
The Big Bang Theory can be streamed on Max.
