Jim Parsons Reveals Simple Explanation for Sheldon's Rude Behavior

While it is a part of what made Sheldon so distinctive, there is no doubt that he not infrequently was offensive even to his close friends. Even as a kid in Young Sheldon spin-off, before certain character-defining traumas, he already tended to be tactless and socially inept.

Jim Parsons, who played him, of course has his own opinion as to why his character was so blunt. And his explanation, which he offered in an interview with Them, is pretty simple:

"Sheldon frequently said inappropriate things to people because he didn't know they were inappropriate. And also the truth, there was nothing to, should be of the cost of truth. "

To be fair, at certain points of the series Sheldon goes well beyond just being a honest man, who is too socially maladjusted to understand when his words are inappropriate and might hurt others rather than help them – at times he acts with selfish lack of consideration.

For example, during the series finale, he brushed off everyone else's woes and insisted that they should focus on him as he prepared to receive his Nobel Prize in Physics.

And the cases when he mocked others or otherwise looked down on them from the height of his genius, are too numerous to list.

But his friends managed to stick with him even at his worst, because they knew that most of the time Sheldon doesn't intend to hurt them or prop himself at their expense – he just isn't good at reading emotions of others.

Bernadette even said on the show that Sheldon doesn't know when he's being mean, and that is pretty much true regarding his usual behavior. As his friends generally understood that, they were willing to remain friends with him.

And this lack of malicious intent is evident from the fact over the course of the series Sheldon gradually learns how to be more sensitive to other people.

At times, particularly under pressure, he still can relapse to his worst behavior, but in general he becomes better at recognizing when blunt honesty is the best policy, and when his opinion should be kept to himself.