It seems like Jim Parsons is ready for his next act.
The actor was apparently ready to move on from his starring role as Dr. Sheldon Cooper on “The Big Bang Theory” after Season 12, according to Entertainment Weekly. CBS reportedly attempted to negotiate two more seasons of the hit sitcom but Parsons said no, even though he was set to earn more than $50 million from the deal.
The actor posted an emotional tribute to “The Big Bang Theory” on Instagram shortly after news broke Thursday that he had turned down the huge payday.
“It is hard (nearly impossible, actually) to really accept that this is a picture of the first of the final 24 episodes we will shoot for The Big Bang Theory,” he wrote. “I feel very fortunate that we have another 23 episodes to shoot this season because I am hopeful that with each and every one, my level of REALLY accepting this fact will sink in.”
The photo shows Parsons posing with co-stars Melissa Rauch, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Mayim Bialik and Kunal Nayyar while filming the first episode of the final season.
Producers from Warner Bros. Television announced Wednesday that Season 12 of the sitcom, which premieres Sept. 24 on CBS, will be its last. They said the show will conclude after 279 episodes, which will make it the longest-running multicamera comedy series in TV history.
Parsons, Galecki, Cuoco, Nayyar and Helberg, who have all been on the show since the first episode, at one time made $1 million per episode. But they all agreed to a $100,000 pay cut per episode for Seasons 11 and 12 to increase the salaries of longtime co-stars Bialik and Rauch, Variety reported last year.