Jim Parsons opened up about his decision to exit The Big Bang Theory. He shared some personal incidents in his life that made him decide it's time to move on.
In his recent appearance in David Tennant Does a Podcast With..., Parsons said the "moment of clarity" came to him in one intense summer in New York. After TBBT Season 11, he moved to New York City to appear in The Boys In The Band on Broadway.
He called the day when he was about to leave home to shoot a commercial for Intel, one of their dogs became seriously ill. Parsons said he felt so bad that he needed to go to work while his dog was dying. Jim said he broke down in tears thinking that the canine will die while he's at work.
His 14-year-old dog then suffered from a seizure. This made him and his husband, Todd Spiewak, decide to put the pooch out of his pain.
Jim Parsons said the next couple of days were the scariest moment of his life. He referred to it as "the end of an era." Jim said he was in a dark place and realized that something was wrong with his life.
After the death of his dog, the 47-year-old actor also slipped and broke his foot during curtain call at his Broadway show. He, then, realized that he would be age 46 by the end of The Big Bang Theory Season 12.
The Home actor said his father died at the age of 52 and, if he has the same lifespan with his father, it means he only has six more years to live. Parsons said he has lots of things that he wants to accomplish before he dies.
The death of his dog, the broken foot, and his father gave him the "clarity" he needed to make a big change in his life. After returning to Los Angeles, Parsons talked to TBBT creators Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro about his decision.
In an Instagram post in May 2018, Parson addressed the end of the CBS sitcom. He, also, expressed his gratitude to his fellow cast members Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, and Melissa Rauch.
Jim Parsons played the role of Caltech theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper for the entire 12 seasons on The Big Bang Theory. The show gave him four Emmy awards for Best Lead Actor In Comedy Series and one from the Golden Globe.
The Big Bang Theory wrapped up in May 2019 after 12 seasons. Parsons is still working on some TV projects. He produces TBBT's prequel, Young Sheldon, and he is also co-producing the upcoming Fox comedy, Call Me Kat, starring his on-screen wife, Mayim Bialik.