Young Sheldon star Emily Osment reveals why she requested intimacy coordinator over ‘uncomfortable’ age gap

Young Sheldon star Emily Osment has spoken about why she wanted to work with an intimacy coordinator despite not having any sex scenes with co-star Montana Jordan during the show.

Osment played Mandy McAllister in Young Sheldon, joining the hit sitcom in season five as a weather presenter who strikes up an unlikely romance with Georgie Cooper, played by Montana Jordan.

Their relationship takes a dramatic turn when Mandy discovers she is pregnant, despite the pair's 12-year age gap, and Georgie's initial lies about his age.

But it seems their IRL age-gap proved to be just as tricky to navigate, as the actress, 30, at the time, requested to work with an intimacy coordinator for kissing scenes with Jordan, then just 18.

Osment’s initial reservations about her on-screen relationship with Jordan are explored in Jessica Radloff’s new book, 'Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw’s Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy', with the actress reportedly describing her younger co-star as 'a baby'.

The on-screen couple worked with a coordinator to navigate their age-gap. (CBS)

"A baby with a mullet," she explained, "So I spoke to [producer] Tim Marx, and obviously they were not able to get one that late in the day, but for the next few episodes they had one there, since the relationship between them escalates. It made everything easier having one there. I think it’s something that’s really important."

The author added: "I don’t know if Montana even knew if he could ask for that. Like, let’s give him the option, too. Make him comfortable.

"And he’s such a sweet kid, I think he would just eat his discomfort. But I love those guys, and I’m really happy it got to the point where they were able to do that [for us]."

They went onto work on numerous shows together. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Alex Reid, who directed 36 episodes of the show, recalled having a behind-the-scenes photo of the pair sitting in the car between takes, with both looking in opposite directions.

"I showed it to Emily and she said, 'Yeah, that was so uncomfortable for both of us, because we didn’t know each other'," he recalled.

"It wasn’t even about the lack of an intimacy coordinator. It’s just you’re having to make out with somebody you just kind of met. Obviously they worked that out, and they have a great chemistry now, but that was kind of embarrassing."

Co-creator of the sitcom, Steve Molaro, noted that she had 'every right' to ask for the assistance of a coordinator, who is experienced in navigating alternative dynamics.