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- Leonard’s girlfriends on The Big Bang Theory varied in looks, brains, and talent. Leonard wasn’t picky with the women he was interested in, but they had to be liked by his close group of friends. Knowing how obnoxious Sheldon could be, Leonard always worried about bringing women home — except for Penny. What made Leonard’s girlfriends some of the best on TBBT was the way they complimented the group. But as diehard fans know, no girlfriend could outshine Penny.
For twelve seasons, fans of The Big Bang Theory have been so obsessed with the evolution of Penny and Leonard that they've forgotten about all of Leonard's past relationships — the women Leonard fell for before Penny. Leonard and Penny were meant to end up together, but what about the girlfriends in between? Who were the other women involved with Leonard who could have been the front-runners in his life?
Priya and Leonard had a lot in common, but their relationship was toxic. Likewise, Dr. Stephanie was the perfect fit, but she got too serious too fast. Out of all the men on TBBT, Leonard Hofstadter's girlfriends were different from the next, but he had the most promising romantic life.
Updated on September 11, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs:
Leonard’s girlfriends on The Big Bang Theory varied in looks, brains, and talent. Leonard wasn’t picky with the women he was interested in, but they had to be liked by his close group of friends. Knowing how obnoxious Sheldon could be, Leonard always worried about bringing women home — except for Penny. What made Leonard’s girlfriends some of the best on TBBT was the way they complimented the group. But as diehard fans know, no girlfriend could outshine Penny.
Joyce Kim
Joyce Kim is a name that's dropped throughout TBBT, but fans have only seen her in flashbacks. She and Leonard dated for about a month when Leonard began working on a rocket fuel project. As it turns out, Leonard had terrible radar, because she was an undercover North Korean spy who was hoping to get answers out of Leonard.
However, a month of dating Leonard meant a month with Sheldon — something that was annoying enough to break Joyce and end her relationship with Leonard. But it was all for the best because he would have leaked classified information to her and thus, North Korea. Although people thought Penny and Leonard were toxic at times, this fake relationship was worse.
Joy
Viewers only saw Joy in one episode, and it suffices to say that she and Leonard didn't go on more than two dates. Despite her beauty, her behavior and personality were off-putting to Leonard.
The two met after Bernadette set them up on a blind date. Along with Howard, the four of them went out to dinner together, but it was clear Leonard wasn't fond of Joy's tardiness or crass ways. The only reason Leonard agreed to go on another date with Joy was because she alluded to sleeping with him. After this date, she was never seen again, and it's safe to assume that Leonard and Bernadette weren't true friends since this blind date was far from perfect.
Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton
Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton wasn't Leonard's girlfriend, but the two did sleep together multiple times. As always, Leonard hoped something more serious would come from a night with Dr. Plimpton, but the opposite occurred.
Dr. Plimpton came to Pasadena for an interview at Caltech. She stayed with Sheldon and Leonard, as she was one of Sheldon's friends. Leonard had always been a fan of her work but became more interested when he saw how pretty she was. Things were hot and heavy between the two until Leonard realized that she was also trying to sleep with Raj. Sheldon eventually found out that Leonard slept with his friend and felt betrayed. Dr. Plimpton would have been a great girlfriend for Leonard or Raj, but she only appeared in one episode.
Mrs. Latham
Leonard was single in season 4 when he met Mrs. Latham. The two met at a Caltech fundraiser where she was a huge donor to the university. Mrs. Latham was attractive but, as an older woman, Leonard was intimidated.
Leonard had to pitch an idea to Mrs. Latham on why the physics department deserved the donation, which led to a strange dinner date to talk more about his work. By the end of the date, Mrs. Latham came on to Leonard, which led to a second date. Leonard was confused by the entire situation but did it in the name of science. The two wound up sleeping together, and he hilariously got the donation. But were these two ever serious? Not in the slightest.
Alice
Alice was nothing more than a fling in season 5, but there was a deep connection between the two that could be felt by viewers. They met in the comic book store where she ended up giving Leonard her number. There was only one problem: he was dating Priya.
Leonard and Priya had their toxic moments, which was why he was so attracted to Alice. The two kissed, but Leonard stopped himself before they went any further because he was still in a relationship. Alice was disgusted with Leonard and kicked him out. Despite his lies, these two would have been great together because she had the same interests as the group.
Leslie Winkle
It's hard to say if Leonard dated Leslie out of convenience or if he truly liked her, but they had a deep enough connection to keep going back to each other. Leslie didn't last long on the series but she was an underrated character on TBBT.
Leslie worked at the university with the guys and was in the same department as Leonard. The two had a ton in common and understood one another on an intellectual level, but there was no real passion between them. Leslie and Sheldon despised each other, and she hooked up with Howard when she wasn't with Leonard. It was clear that what Leonard and Leslie shared was a love for physics but not each other. Despite their on-and-off passion, she was a better choice for Leonard than, say, Alice.
Priya
It's hard to say if Priya and Leonard would have worked out long-term. After all, they had the odds stacked against them. Priya was Raj's sister (which created friction between Raj and Leonard), her parents wanted her to marry an Indian man, and she worked in India.
With the family issues and the long distance, Priya and Leonard were doomed from the start. She also hated his friendship with Penny, didn't get along with the other women, and tried to change his personality. But those were things Leonard was willing to deal with because he seemed to love Priya genuinely. In the end, long-distance broke them up, but if she stayed in California, they would have been endgame.
Dr. Stephanie Barnett
Leonard and Stephanie may have met on rocky terms—she was on a date with Howard, after all—but they seemed to really hit it off. Fans rooted for this relationship from the start. What makes things even more interesting is that Stephanie was one woman Sheldon really seemed to like. He even wanted to join dates with them because he enjoyed her mindset and company.
Leonard and Stephanie dated for quite some time in season 2 but broke it off when things were getting too serious, too fast. With the two of them on different pages, Leonard called it quits with Stephanie, but she was one of his best relationships.
Penny
Penny and Leonard have such a deep history that fans were always hoping they'd end up together. While they had moments where they should have dumped each other, they worked on their differences and came together.
For Leonard's sake, it also helped that Sheldon loved Penny and trusted her. Penny fit into all the places in Leonard's life and remained friends with him when they had their breakups. It's their friendship and trust that drove this relationship to marriage, and eventually a baby. Penny and Leonard have always been a crowd favorite.