Jim Parsons Left The Big Bang Theory For Three Main Reasons

In 2019, "The Big Bang Theory" ended after twelve seasons and as many years — an ending that was largely determined by the show's star, Jim Parsons. So why did Parsons decide to leave Sheldon Cooper and his enormous collection of superhero tees behind? There was just a whole lot going on in his personal life at the time.

Parsons spoke to former "Doctor Who" star David Tennant on the latter's podcast in August of 2020 and revealed that he had a feeling that, when he signed a contract for two years following the show's tenth anniversary, that he would conclude his run as Sheldon then. "Our final contract was for the last two years, but no one knew when we signed it what that would mean. I kind of had a suspicion in my heart that that was going to be it for me when I did sign that contract, but you never say never and who knows," Parsons told Tennant. That wasn't the only consideration, though.

Parsons also revealed to Tennant that, as he continued past Season 10, he was experiencing something genuinely traumatic: the fact that one of his dogs was getting old. "I was exhausted, and I was really upset about, more than anything, one of our dogs was getting really at the end of his life around then," he said.

If you've only see him play Sheldon Cooper, you might be surprised to learn that Jim Parsons is an incredibly accomplished stage actor — he made his Broadway debut in 2011 in Larry Kramer's play "The Normal Heart" and has continued performing on the Great White Way ever since. In 2018, a year before "The Big Bang Theory" called it quits, Parsons was pulling double duty, appearing in both a Broadway production of "Boys in the Band" (which also starred Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, and Zachary Quinto) and filming "The Big Bang Theory" on the opposite coast. Between those commitments and his dog's worsening health — and eventual passing — Parsons told David Tennant it was just a really rough time.

Then Parsons suffered a foot injury during "Boys in the Band," and as he said to Tennant, that incident basically pushed him over the edge. "It was the scariest moment for the next couple of days because I didn't know — I felt like I was at the edge of a cliff, and I was teetering, and I saw something really dark below between the death of the dog, and I don't know what they would have done if I couldn't have gotten back on for the play." It wasn't the injury that led Parsons to his decision regarding "The Big Bang Theory," though — it was something far more personal.

According to his interview with David Tennant, Jim Parsons did some relatively macabre math and realized that his father died at 52 years old ... and by the time "The Big Bang Theory" reached its 12th season, Parsons himself would be 46. With that in mind, he spoke to showrunner Chuck Lorre and producer Steve Molaro and told them he wanted to leave the show after the end of season 12.

"I had this moment of clarity that I think you're very fortunate to get in a lot of ways, of going 'Don't keep speeding by.' You know? 'Use this time to take a look around,'" Parsons recalled. Apparently, he told Lorre and Molaro that he needed to move on from the sitcom and try something different, saying to the pair, "'If you told me that like my father, I had six years left to live, I think there's other things I need to try and do.'"

You can't really argue with this line of reasoning, and in the end, it all worked out for the best. "The Big Bang Theory" ended in 2019 and, since then, Parsons has found the freedom to pursue more stage work, including productions of "Mother Play" and "Our Town" in 2024, and also starred in the 2022 film "Spoiler Alert." If you really need to relive his days as Sheldon, "The Big Bang Theory" is streaming on Max now.