Only One Big Bang Theory Star Knew Jim Parsons Was Planning to Leave

The cast and crew were taken aback when Jim Parsons voiced his intention to leave The Big Bang Theory after season 12.

There were tears and silent shock as no one had seen it coming.

Kaley Cuoco was so disappointed by Parsons's decision that she supposedly couldn't even look at him the day he broke the news. Johnny Galecki was outraged by his fellow actor's move, particularly because he hadn't warned any of his colleagues.

However, it seems that there was one co-star Jim Parsons had given a heads-up about his plans for the twelfth season of TBBT.

The iconic sitcom featured an ensemble cast. The characters were a tightly-knit group, and so were the actors. Nevertheless, some of them shared a deeper bond than others. For instance, Cuoco and Galecki dated in real life for some time without telling their colleagues.

In Jim Parsons's case, Simon Helberg was his bosom friend and confidant. The two actors had dressing rooms next to each other. They grew very close during their twelve years on The Big Bang Theory. It's no wonder Jim Parsons confided in Simon Helberg about his plans to leave the show after season 12.

According to the book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, the actor portraying Howard felt the same way and was thinking of calling it quits, too. So, not only was Simon Helberg unsurprised when Jim Parsons announced his departure from the show, but he also supported his colleague and defended him against the backlash from the other co-stars.

‘Jim didn't cancel our show. Jim just finished the run of our show as we all did, contractually, and no one ever asked us to continue doing the show. That is not an exaggeration,’ Helberg said in Parsons’s defence.

In any case, everyone eventually came to terms with TBBT's ending. It had to happen one way or another. It's now been almost four years since the last episode of the beloved sitcom aired, and the world still hasn't ended.