Young Sheldon star Iain Armitage admits he was 'most happy' when show ended after admitting he was 'difficult'
Young Sheldon star, Iain Armitage, now 18, has opened up about his feelings following the end of the hit show in 2024.
Armitage was interviewed for Jessica Radloff's new book, Young Sheldon: The (Juicier-Than-Meemaw's-Brisket) Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, where he said he was 'the most happy' about the show wrapping up, according to US Weekly.
Other cast members, meanwhile, were frustrated by the finale cameros from Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik and the secret spinoff Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.
"Looking back now, it's nostalgic sad," he said. "Like, I miss working at Warner Bros., I miss the crew and the people I love."
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Why was Iain Armitage happy Young Sheldon ended?
His mother, Lee Armitage 'wasn't grieving' because she was looking forward to her son's next chapter.
Armitage said being in a constant state of mourning 'felt heavy and annoying and weird,', which is why he refused to 'stay in that heaviness forever.' He also noted that, unlike his coworkers, he wasn't 'going home and crying all day'
"Plus, I wanted to be in Virginia. I wanted to be traveling, and I'm happy to do whatever movie comes up," he continued.
"I would hate to be on a show playing 23-year-old Sheldon. That would suck. I wouldn't want to do that. So it was a perfect time to end it."
Young Sheldon was ordered for three more seasons in 2021, but the writers later realized season seven was bringing the show to it's natural end.
Sheldon, who was first introduced in The Big Bang Theory, would be in college away from the other characters,
How did the Young Sheldon cast react to the show ending?
Lance Barber, who played George Sr., recalled the mood once the cast knew the end was coming.
"There was a different quality to the air, knowing that this was gonna be it. Annie [Potts] was obviously pissed, vocally so, as she tends to be," he said.
Potts, who played Sheldon's grandmother was 'a little sad' about how Parsons and Bialik reprised Sheldon and Amy in the 2024 finale, with Sheldon returning 'mean and unchanged.'
"That gave me a stomachache. It was like, 'Who crashed our party?! Who Invited you?" she said.
The co-creators were also discussing a spinoff for Georgie (Montana Jordan) and Mandy (Emily Osment), but had to tell the cast the show was ending before approaching Jordan and Osment about returning. The pair were asked not to tell their costars until their deals were done, which caused tension, as did an 'informal and impersonal' Zoom call revealing the cancellation.
Potts said she felt 'devalued' after not being offered a series regular role in the spinoff.
She later blamed CBS for a decision made by the show's writers, which she claimed she was told about in a call.
Armitage has yet to return to the franchise in any capacity, and the book confirmed he declined an offer to appear in a Thanksgiving episode in the first season of Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage.
"The Thanksgiving episode that would have included him would have been wonderful to do, but their reasoning is understandable," co-creator Chuck Lorre said.
Since the CBS series concluded its seventh season in May 2024, Armitage has been living a very different life away from the spotlight.
The actor told People in October 2024 that he was taking a break from his career to focus on himself and what he wants to explore - including flying.
“I just got my pilot's license, or my student pilot's license,” he revealed. “I hopefully will get my private [pilot’s license] when I'm 17."
"And I've been having a bunch of fun flying while I'm here in LA."
Topics: Entertainment, Film and TV
Thomas Bamford