“The Big Bang Theory” adored probing the grand mysteries of the universe. Whether it was revolutionary quantum physics or simply matters of the heart, the sitcom dedicated itself to exploring the epic highs and lows of simply being alive. But there’s one more mystery afoot — what do those actors who enchanted audiences for years look like now?
Though the cast made plenty of money during their run on the show (the main actors allegedly earning nearly $1 million per episode), many continued working when they arguably could have simply retired. Some of them are still in the acting game, so you might know exactly what they look like these days. Others have faded out of the spotlight, choosing to live different lives since the show wrapped. But the years have definitely brought on changes for some members of that esteemed company no matter what they did after the end of “The Big Bang Theory.” Whether they’re headlining their own sitcoms, creating production companies, turning toward the theater or even hosting game shows, this is what the cast of “The Big Bang Theory” looks like today.
Jim Parsons
Of all of the actors who graced “The Big Bang Theory,” Jim Parsons is the one most closely enmeshed with the show’s living memory. Voicing his character’s thoughts from the present day for the spin-off prequel “Young Sheldon,” Parsons eventually appeared onscreen one more time as Sheldon Cooper during the sitcom’s series finale. He also produced “Call Me Kat” for Fox, which starred former “Big Bang” co-star Mayim Bialik.
While he made his name as the persnickety, routine-orientated Doctor Cooper, he’s branched back out into dramatic acting since the sitcom ended. He has portrayed Henry Wilson in the limited series “Hollywood,” took his Broadway role in “The Boys in the Band” to the big screen, and appears as film critic Michael Ausiello in the romantic tearjerker film “Spoiler Alert.” He’s also returned to the world of theater, starring in “Mother Play” — for which he received a Tony nomination — and an upcoming fall 2024 revival of “Our Town.”
Johnny Galecki
After years in the entertainment world, Johnny Galecki has disappeared from the Hollywood spotlight after hanging up Leonard’s glasses. Aside from making a few appearences as his other legendary sitcom character — David Healy on the “Roseanne” revival “The Conners” — the actor has eschewed further acting roles to move to Nashville.
His personal life has stayed rosy — he revealed to Architectural Digest in February that he’s married a woman named Morgan and they have a daughter, Oona Evelena. The couple are co-parenting Galecki’s son, Orbison, from a previous relationship.
Galecki told the magazine that he’d never felt very comfortable in the Hollywood scene. “I never felt like much of an Angeleno. And I did try. I say that with sadness, not with snobbery. Thirty years is just a very long time to live in a city that you’re not all that comfortable in.” He doesn’t mention if he’ll ever return to the acting game, but it sounds like he’s living the sort of domestic dream that Leonard himself once yearned for.
Kaley Cuoco
After establishing her spirited and tough-as-nails alter ego, Kaley Cuoco has kept herself busy on both sides of the camera since shedding Penny’s Cheesecake Factory uniform. Two years after “The Big Bang Theory” ended, Cuoco found herself headlining three different series. She was Cassie Bowden on HBO’s “The Flight Attendant” for two seasons, and currently plays Ava Bartlett in Peacock’s “Based on a True Story,” which was renewed for a second season in 2023. The third series? She voices the title character in HBO’s animated “Harley Quinn.”
On the big screen, Cuoco’s appeared in “The Man from Toronto” and “Meet Cute.” Her latest film is the action-romance “Role Play” for Prime Video. On top of that, Cuoco has established her own production company, Yes, Norman Productions. The actress and Yes, Norman signed a first-look deal with Warner Bros. in 2021; the production arm has backed most of Cuoco’s recent vehicles since that year, including “Based on a True Story” and “The Flight Attendant.” On top of all of that, Cuoco became a mother when she gave birth to daughter Matilda with fellow actor Tom Pelphrey in 2023. That’s one busy lady.
Kunal Nayyar
Kunal Nayyar might be best known as the shy Raj, but since “The Big Bang Theory” wrapped, he’s been anything but retiring. He’s quickly established a name for himself in the voice acting world, taking on the role of Guy Diamond in the “Trolls” franchise. But he definitely hasn’t given up live-action acting.
Nayyar has appeared in “Sweetness in the Belly,” “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry,” and “How to Date Billy Walsh” on the big screen, as well as the Adam Sandler Netflix exclusive film “Spaceman” in 2024. He was a regular on the Apple TV+ series “Suspicion,” and lent his voice to four episodes of “Mira, Royal Detective,” the first Disney Junior show to feature an all-South Asian voice cast.
The actor’s next role? “Christmas Karma,” a Bollywood musical take on “A Christmas Carol” with Eva Longoria. The film is set for a December 2025 release.
Simon Helberg
While many of the main actors who comprised the cast of “The Big Bang Theory” have preferred big studio projects, Simon Helberg has taken a quirkier and more independent route to acting success. His adventurous choice of roles proves he’s nothing like the rather domesticated Howard Wolowitz.
Helbig’s biggest role since “Big Bang” ended was that of The Accompanist in “Annette.” He also pops up in two episodes of Peacock’s “Poker Face” as Luca Clark, in addition to “As They Made Us” — a film directed by “Big Bang Theory” co-star Mayim Bialik — and “Space Oddity.” On two separate occasions, he’s given voice to the character Dr. Revanche in “American Dad!”
He’s also become a regular actor in the California-based theatrical scene. He has appeared in productions for both the Pasadena Playhouse and Geffen Playhouse, including radio plays. Helberg will appear in “The Witch” at the latter theater in the late summer of 2024.
Mayim Bialik
Mayim Bialik has arguably lived the most controversial life among the show’s main cast members since “The Big Bang Theory” ended. While she definitely made some conventional moves after the sitcom ended — like launching her own show, “Call Me Kat,” which endured for three seasons before being cancelled at Fox — she’s stumbled through a tough series of controversies during her stewardship of a famous game show.
Being named both the daily host of “Jeopardy!” and the host of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” proved to be a boon and a bane to the actress. First, comments she made about the #MeToo movement in 2017 surfaced, causing her to walk back her comments via her X, formerly known as Twitter, account. Then she was accused of being anti-vaccination, thanks to comments she made in her book about attachment parenting, “Beyond The Sling” — a notion which she also denied. As a result, some “Jeopardy!” fans vowed they wouldn’t forget her comments. It didn’t help when her endorsement of the allegedly brain-boosting supplement Neuriva, which Psychology Today referred to as “snake oil,” added fuel to the fire.
In 2023, Bialik walked off “Jeopardy!” during the SAG-AFTRA strikes, which led to Ken Jennings — with whom she alternated hosting duties — to take over the slot full time. Sony subsequently informed Bialik during the fall of 2023 that her contract would not be renewed for the syndicated version of the show. Since then, she’s continued to co-host her podcast, the Bialik Breakdown.
Melissa Rauch
Melissa Rauch seemed to find her acting stride as the perky but tough Bernadette Rostenkowski, and she’s stayed in the sitcom milieu to keep audiences rolling in the aisles ever since then. Rauch not only produces NBC’s revival of “Night Court,” but she stars in it as Abby Stone, daughter of the late Harold T. Stone (Harry Anderson). The sitcom will see a third season in fall 2024. She also appeared in the Netflix movie “The Laundromat” in 2020.
Besides “Night Court,” Rauch has done a lot of voice acting work: She performed as several characters for “Robot Chicken” and as Marie Antoinette in the Hulu revival of “Animaniacs!” She’s also scored two recurring voice acting gigs — Dinah in “Chicken Squad,” which airs on Disney Junior, and Beth Bayani in another Disney Junior program, “Firebuds.” You’ll hear her as Gwen the Car in “Cats and Dogs 3: Paws Unite,” as well. You could say that Rauch’s career has done anything but go to the dogs since Bernadette’s story ended.
