The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg Gets Honest About How Fans Treat Him

"The Big Bang Theory" ran for an astounding 12 seasons between 2007 and 2019. Along the way, it scooped up 10 Emmy Awards and nearly four dozen more nominations (via IMDb).

The sitcom about the intertwining lives of scientists Leonard and Sheldon and their next-door neighbor, aspiring actor Penny, popularized phrases like "bazinga" while also making household names of its lead actors: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, and Kaley Cuoco.

The ragtag group of scientists featured on the show also includes Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), two of Leonard and Sheldon's friends and co-workers. In later seasons, Mayim Bialik joined the cast as Amy Farrah Fowler, another scientist and the love interest of Parsons' character. While almost all of the principal cast have remained friends in the years since the show's end, a recent conversation between Bialik and Helberg revealed some shocking interactions the actors have had with viewers of the show.

Simon Helberg recently appeared on co-star Mayim Bialik's podcast "Mayim Bialik's Breakdown" to promote their new project "As They Made Us." Bialik shared a minute-long clip from the interview on Twitter in which Helberg discusses a startling similarity among most of his fan interactions.

"Famously, the introduction that people tend to make to me, particularly when ["The Big Bang Theory"] was on, was, they would come up and they would say 'Listen, I hate your show, but...'" said Helberg.

He recounted that many of the people who spoke to him would immediately begin by saying that they hated his work on the popular sitcom, but because of various acquaintances being fans, they had absorbed much of the show. Even more surprising, Bialik shared that similar sentiments had been expressed to her by the public.

The two laugh off the negative comments on the podcast, but the interactions were clearly frequent and hurtful enough to leave a lasting impression. However, both stars seem to realize that enough people had to enjoy "The Big Bang Theory" for it to have been so successful.