Personal Tragedy Behind the Scenes Led Jim Parsons to Leave Big Bang Theory
When Jim Parsons revealed that season 12 of The Big Bang Theory would be his final, everyone was shocked. And as far as we knew, he was simply ready to find out what was next for him outside the comfort of the megahit comedy. But it turns out he had to deal with a personal tragedy that led him to leave the show.
When it was first announced that The Big Bang Theory was coming to an end, no one really knew the reason behind it and it all seemed very sudden. But as it came out later, Jim Parsons felt like it was time for him to move on and the showrunners decided it was better to wrap up the series altogether as it didn't seem right to continue without him.
Needless to say, Parson's exit stunned the fans, as well as the cast members.
However, not many people know that Parsons had to face the tragic loss of a long-time pet dog behind closed doors. The sad event added more weight to his personal self-reflection and other challenges he was already dealing with at the time.
And this caused him to ultimately decide to leave his super-successful role as Sheldon Cooper after portraying him for twelve years in the hit series.
Parsons disclosed on David Tennant Does A Podcast With… Jim Parsons just how much this personal tragedy affected him. At the time, his schedule was filled with back-to-back rehearsals and projects. And when he had to deal with putting down his beloved dog, which is any pet parent's worst nightmare, he needed to continue working.
"I'll never forget that walk around the park to let him go to the bathroom before we went to the commercial shoot. He just looked so bad and I was so tired," the actor said. "Todd, my husband, was like 'we gotta go, we've scheduled this, they fit everything around your schedule…' and I just started crying. It makes me upset now. I was like 'this dog's going to die while I start working, I feel so bad.' Talk about triggers."
And as if dealing with the pain of having to say goodbye to his pet wasn't enough, he also slipped on stage and broke his foot shortly after the sad event.
However, even though that summer was undoubtedly very intense for Parsons, it also gave him a different perspective and clarity about his life. He also revealed that his father had passed at the age of 52 years before, and he had suddenly realized that he himself would be 46 by the end of TBBT's 12th season. This made him think that if someone told him he would pass at the same age as his dad, there were many other things he needed to try and do even if he didn't even know what those things were yet.