Whatever Happened To Johnny Galecki After The Big Bang Theory Finale?
For over a decade, Johnny Galecki was a weekly presence on our screens as lovable geek Leonard on the "Big Bang Theory." But when the show ended in 2019, the star seemingly disappeared. So what has he been up to?
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00:00For over a decade, Johnny Galecki was a weekly presence on our screens as lovable geek Leonard
00:05on The Big Bang Theory. But when the show ended in 2019, the star seemingly disappeared.
00:10So what has he been up to?
00:12On May 3rd, 2019, Johnny Galecki took to Instagram to share some exciting news. He and his then-girlfriend,
00:18Elena Meyer, who he privately began dating the year prior, were expecting a baby. He
00:22wrote in the post,
00:23"...we are absolutely over the moon to announce that we will soon be welcoming a little one
00:27into this crazy and wonderful world. We ask that you please respect our privacy during
00:31this celebratory time for us and our families."
00:34Later that month, during a paint-filled gender-reveal party, Galecki and Meyer learned that they'd
00:39be welcoming a son. Orbison was born in early December 2019, with Galecki posting a sweet
00:44photo of himself and Meyer, each holding one of their baby's little hands. However, by
00:49November 2020, Galecki and Meyer had broken up and were co-parenting Orbison. Meyer wrote
00:54on Instagram that month,
00:55"...this has been the gnarliest year of my life with the highest highs and the lowest
00:59lows."
01:00Ever private about his relationships, Galecki has not publicly commented on why things ended.
01:05After his relationship with Meyer came to a close, Galecki turned to a friend to help
01:09get his mind off things — country musician Randy Houser. In January 2020, Galecki and
01:14his mother, Mary Lou, introduced Houser on stage at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles.
01:18In October of that year, as the world still reeled from the COVID-19 pandemic, Galecki
01:23shared an adorable photo of the two dads and their kids enjoying a sunny autumn day
01:27at a pumpkin patch.
01:28Additionally, Houser helped Galecki tap into his musical side. A talented drummer, Galecki
01:33learned to set aside his shyness on stage and occasionally join Houser on a few tour
01:38stops. In fact, his drumming skills can be heard in the demo version of No Stone Unturned,
01:42the first song off Houser's 2019 album, Magnolia.
01:46That spur-of-the-moment opportunity came when Galecki stayed with Houser and his wife in
01:49Nashville for a weekend. When his guest asked what he was working on, Houser played No Stone
01:54Unturned with just a click track, and Galecki asked for some drumsticks.
01:58I didn't even know he played drums.
02:00After filming for The Big Bang Theory wrapped up, Galecki returned to the world of Lanford,
02:04Illinois for brief appearances as David Healy on The Conners.
02:08Yeah, the characters resurfaced really quickly. It was odd.
02:12In Season 2, which aired in the fall of 2019, David is featured in two episodes. These episodes
02:17show Darlene, played by Sarah Gilbert, grappling with a difficult decision. Does she get back
02:22with David, her teenage love and the father of her kids? Or does she finally leave him
02:26in the past?
02:27For Gilbert, it was a joy to once again work alongside Galecki, who she said on Live with
02:31Kelly and Ryan stood by her side years prior as she began to understand her sexuality.
02:36He's the best. He's such a good guy. He's such a good actor.
02:40In 2024, the show was renewed for its seventh and final season. Regarding a possible Galecki
02:45return, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Executive producer Bruce Helford told TVLine,
02:50"...the door is always open to Johnny. I'm sure we'll be talking to him."
02:54Aside from his limited appearances on The Conners, Galecki hasn't set foot in front
02:58of a camera since the end of The Big Bang Theory, essentially disappearing from Hollywood.
03:03That's because, after 12 years, Leonard's mannerisms were so ingrained in Galecki's
03:07acting performance that it would have been impossible for him to immediately take on
03:11a new role and not carry over some of the character.
03:14He said in Jessica Radloff's The Big Bang Theory, the definitive inside story of the
03:17epic hit series,
03:18"...one of the reasons I kind of have been staying out from in front of the camera is
03:22I'm still kind of bleeding Leonard out of my system, because these characters, they
03:26stay with you for a while."
03:28Plus, Galecki truly enjoyed his 12 years as Leonard, which would have made a quick transition
03:32into another character even harder. In an interview with Larry King, he revealed that
03:36the show's co-creators Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady initially envisioned him as Sheldon.
03:41However, upon reading the first few pages of the script, he felt drawn to Leonard.
03:45"...hadn't had a lot of opportunities to play, not the Leonard's love interest, but the love
03:50of someone struggling with that territory of the heart."
03:53Upon landing his first major sitcom role on Roseanne in the early 90s, a teenage Galecki
03:58moved from his childhood home in Illinois to Los Angeles, where he remained for the
04:02next three decades. For the majority of that time, however, he never felt like he belonged
04:06in the City of Angels permanently. He told Architectural Digest,
04:09"...I never felt like much of an Angeleno, and I did try. I say that with sadness, not
04:14with snobbery. Thirty years is just a very long time to live in a city that you're not
04:18all that comfortable in."
04:19When the Big Bang Theory wrapped up and Galecki no longer had any commitments tying him to
04:23the West Coast, he began pondering where he'd like to move to. A few places came to mind,
04:28including Austin and New York, but one place attracted him the most — Nashville. He told
04:33Architectural Digest,
04:34"...everywhere I looked around here felt like the scene of a future memory."
04:38In 2019, shortly before the shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, Galecki finally said goodbye
04:43to California and moved to the Music City. Once there, his sole focus was on his family
04:48and getting his new house decorated to his liking, rather than what was next in his career.
04:53In fact, he admitted that the 2024 interview with Architectural Digest was the first he
04:57agreed to in nearly four years.
05:00Although Galecki's relocation to Los Angeles as a teenager was a solo endeavor, this wasn't
05:05the case for his Nashville move. By his side was Morgan Galecki, whom he privately married
05:09on an undisclosed date. He first posted images of Morgan on his Instagram in January 2023
05:15as part of a series of photos from their trip with Orbison to Walt Disney World. Galecki
05:19wrote in the caption,
05:20"...thank you to Mickey and gang for a magical post-holiday holiday."
05:24A little over a year later, the Galeckis welcomed a daughter together. Similar to how he handled
05:28his relationship with Meyer and the birth of Orbison, Galecki has worked to keep his
05:32home life with Morgan and his daughter out of the public spotlight. However, he does
05:36share the occasional glimpse into his life and happiness as a husband and father, whether
05:41it be cute Instagram posts like the Disney one or the rare interview.
05:45Without the stress of a weekly sitcom on his plate, Galecki is able to dedicate his full
05:49focus to something else — being a good father. Though he shields Orbison from the public
05:54eye, even hiding his face in social media posts, Galecki shares occasional updates about
05:59their father-son adventures, which range from typical outings to spending time with one
06:02of the top rock bands in the world.
06:04In December 2021, Galecki took Orbison to see some holiday lights. In a post of the
06:09two standing under a lit-up canopy, Galecki wrote in the caption,
06:12"...let it snow with my best friend Orbison Galecki."
06:15In a March 2022 post, Orbison can be seen taking in the world of art, as he stands in
06:20front of a Vincent van Gogh piece. Then, in August 2022, this duo got an opportunity that
06:25every emo kid of the early 2000s would pay top dollar for — attending My Chemical Romance's
06:30soundcheck at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Galecki wrote in the caption,
06:34"...an extra heartfelt thank you to Gerard Way for the shout-out to both Orby and I during
06:39last night's absolutely incredible show."
06:42Galecki and My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way actually go way back, with Way once interviewing
06:46Galecki for YRB magazine.
06:50Galecki has a great way of maintaining friendships with his ex-girlfriends. The first was Sarah
06:54Gilbert, who went through a tragic depression while dating him as a teenager. At the time,
06:58she was questioning her sexuality, but after she came out to him, he was nothing but supportive
07:02and kept her secret until she was ready to do so publicly years later. Then came Kaley
07:07Cuoco, whom he dated from 2008 to 2010.
07:10"...we got together and just fell mad for each other for about two years."
07:14Though things became strained as Galecki held fast to their self-imposed rule to keep their
07:18relationship away from the public eye, there were no hard feelings when it ended. The two
07:23stayed close friends throughout the remainder of filming and in the years that followed
07:26the finale.
07:27Galecki still posts annual birthday wishes for Cuoco that are filled with love and sarcasm.
07:32In November 2020, he wrote,
07:33"...the happiest 74th birthday to my fake wife, Kaley Cuoco. You know how much I adore
07:38you and respect you. I'm so proud of all you are doing and so happy with your happiness.
07:43Congratulations on 82 years of age."
07:45Additionally, for the 2022 book The Big Bang Theory, the definitive inside story of the
07:49epic hit series, they conducted most of their interviews with author Jessica Radloff as
07:54a duo. In her acknowledgments, Radloff thanked Cuoco for taking charge of Galecki's schedule.
07:59On June 1st, 2020, a few days following the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis
08:04police officer Derek Chauvin, peaceful protesters gathered at the plaza between St. John's Church
08:09and Lafayette Park in Washington, D.C. However, they were ejected from the area with tear
08:15gas by the U.S. Park Police and National Guard.
08:18Shortly after their removal, then-President Donald Trump stood in front of the church
08:21with a Bible, with many reports claiming the protesters were forcibly removed so that he
08:26could reportedly stage a photo-op. Galecki, who had been making his disapproval of Trump
08:30and his voters known for several years prior to the St. John's incident, took to Instagram
08:35to express his many thoughts on the situation. He said, in part,
08:38"...we need understanding and compassion and trusted leadership. Not your irresponsible
08:43and thoughtless, extremely dangerous threats and your pathetic and impotent bullying. I'm
08:47sincerely convinced at this point that this unstable person will not be satisfied until
08:52he creates another civil war."
08:54Galecki continued to be a vocal critic of Trump throughout his term in office, while
08:58also posting remarks on such events as school shootings and the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh
09:02to the Supreme Court in 2018.
09:05Since the emotional finale of The Big Bang Theory, many fans have wondered if, at some
09:09point down the line, they'll see this cast together again on screen. It's not completely
09:13out of the question. Just look at the 2021 Max reunion of the Friends cast. It brought
09:18together Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow,
09:22and Courteney Cox at the Warner Bros. lot, where Friends, as well as The Big Bang Theory,
09:26was filmed for the first time in 17 years.
09:29Galecki has hinted that he's not opposed to doing something similar for The Big Bang Theory,
09:33just not anytime soon. He said in Radloff's book,
09:36Maybe after the amount of time that the Friends cast had.
09:39In the meantime, he credits Radloff's book as being an emotional reunion of sorts. It
09:43was one that allowed him to reminisce on those 12 years and all of the highs and lows that
09:47changed his life forever.