Jim Parsons has revealed why he wanted to leave The Big Bang Theory. Fans still coming to terms with the show ending can now better understand why its lead actor wanted to exit. Explaining why he was ready to say goodbye, Parsons said:
It's both as complex and as simple as just feeling innately that it was time. It speaks to a lot of things, none of them bad. There is no negative reason to stop doing Big Bang. It felt like we have been able to do this for so many years now, it doesn't feel like there is anything left on the table. Not that we couldn't keep doing it, but it feels like we've chewed all the meat off this bone. I guess at a personal level, it feels like the right time in my life. I don't know what's next for me. It's not like there is something specific I am aiming for. I'm firmly in my middle age now. I don't know how much longer I can wear [the T-shirts] without looking really long in the tooth.
Upon the ending announcement, it was widely reported that Jim Parsons wanted to leave The Big Bang Theory. With Parsons having played Sheldon Cooper for over a decade, it's not difficult to understand why he's ready to move on. Still, there has been reason to wonder what led Parsons to make the life-changing decision. Thanks to his explanation to EW, fans know the answer.
Continuing, Jim Parsons acknowledges the road ahead will be an emotional one. It is hard to imagine moving on from a twelve-year experience without quite a few tears. Likening the transition to graduating, Parsons discussed when the end comes, saying:
It will be very, very sad when it does end, even knowing [I am] okay with it. People are okay when they graduate but there are frequently tears at graduation. It's hard to say goodbye to people that you have worked with for so long.
Saying goodbye is never easy, and Jim Parsons seems to know that saying goodbye to The Big Bang Theory will be no exception. Fans will undoubtedly share in his emotional response to the popular sitcom ending.
Despite the hit show being on the air for over a decade, it is still one of the most highly-rated series airing on network television. So, even if Jim Parsons felt there might have been little meat left on the bone, fans have still been eating up what has existed of it.
There is something to be said for a show being able to go out on top. Few get to leave in their own time, and now, The Big Bang Theory will never have to worry about being cancelled.
In a bit of financially uplifting news, The Big Bang Theory should continue to be the gift that keeps giving. The show's popularity in syndication could mean a giant payday for the cast, well after the series wraps. Meaning Jim Parsons will continue to be rewarded for his work on the much-loved sitcom.
Last year, The Big Bang Theory announced that its twelfth season would be its last. The reason the show is ending with Season 12? Jim Parsons' decision to leave the popular sitcom. As the show's breakout character, Sheldon has proved an essential ingredient to its success.
It is not the first time the actor has opened up about his feelings regarding The Big Bang Theory drawing to a close. The highest-paid actor on television has also revealed which of his co-stars he will miss the most.
The finale is closer than ever. What was once a distant date will arrive sometime within the first half of the year. Last month, The Big Bang Theory's showrunner said that the series finale had not been penned yet.
Fans will eventually find out what got written when the finale airs. Until then, it will be a waiting game. The Big Bang Theory returns for its winter premiere Thursday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The beloved sitcom is one of many shows airing new episodes in the midseason.
