The Big Bang Theory continues to be one of the most popular sitcoms on television, and much of that popularity is due to the incredibly quirky and delightful characters of Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler. Sheldon, of course, has been a staple of the show from the very beginning, while Amy's character first debuted in the season three finale and quickly became a fan-favorite. Over the years, she and Sheldon have engaged in a slow-moving, yet unique and often beautiful, relationship.

Having known these characters and their relationship for so long, fans might feel like they know everything about Sheldon and Amy's relationship. Yet, there are a number of facts about their relationship that are not widely known by audiences. Some of these revelations come from Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik themselves, who have shared fascinating insights and behind-the-scenes stories featuring their beloved characters. Others come from the writers and showrunners concerning how Sheldon and Amy's relationship could've been quite different. The spinoff series, Young Sheldon, even contained a crucial insight about a relationship milestone that hasn't occurred yet on The Big Bang Theory. It's time to celebrate Shamy as we explore 20 Wild Revelations About Sheldon And Amy's Relationship.

Young Sheldon Confirmed They Will Have Kids

Iain Armitage in Young Sheldon

Young Sheldon has created a number of fun connections to The Big Bang Theory, but arguably the most exciting connection was the subtle reveal that Sheldon and Amy would go on to have kids. In the season one finale of Young Sheldon, the precocious child has an epiphany about drawing up contracts for any social relationship. In a voice-over (voiced by Jim Parsons himself), Sheldon says, “I would go on to draw up such contracts throughout my life. With roommates, with my wife... Even with my own children.”

As fans now know that Sheldon and Amy got married, he is clearly referring to their future children. With the final season of The Big Bang Theory winding down, audiences may never see Sheldon and Amy with kids, but at least they can take solace in knowing for sure that the couple will go on to have children.

Howard Was The One To Dub Them “Shamy”

Howard Wolowitz talking while sitting on a couch in The Big Bang Theory

Sheldon and Amy have been together for so long at this point that it can be difficult to remember who dubbed them “Shamy” in the first place. This feat belongs to Howard Wolowitz, who along with Raj, made a profile for Sheldon on a dating website that matched him with Amy.

The Shamy name has definitely stuck as characters like Penny have actually referred to the couple as such in the show. To this day, fans all over the world continue to use the name Shamy when talking or writing about the couple. Howard has definitely been a weird and problematic character at times in the show, but at least he gave the world Shamy.

Sheldon's First Kiss

Sheldon Cooper and Dr Beverly Hofstadter in The Big Bang Theory

Part of what makes Amy and Sheldon's relationship so special is all the “firsts” they experience together. It's the first romantic relationship for both of them, allowing them to reach many personal milestones. It's generally assumed that a first kiss is among those milestones, but that may not be necessarily true for Sheldon.

In the season three episode “The Maternal Congruence” Leonard's mother, Beverly Hofstadter, comes to visit. At one point, she has a little too much to drink and even smooches Sheldon. This is before Sheldon even met Amy, which has caused some fans to debate whether Leonard's mother or Amy was actually his first kiss. The kiss does seem pretty one-sided from Leonard's mother, so Shamy fans can take pleasure knowing his first real kiss is still with Amy.

Honest Communication

As absurd as Sheldon's relationship contract with Amy may seem, Jim Parsons believes it achieves something truly unique and special. He claims that the contract allows for “The most honest amount of communication I have seen from a couple on TV or film in many years.”

Such honesty can sometimes be quite amusing for the audience, but it's also quite refreshing. So many couples in film and television are founded on deceit and betrayal as these work well for good drama; however, the pure honesty in Sheldon and Amy's relationship makes their romance a breath of fresh air in the entertainment world. It can also help explain why despite their sometimes frustrating quirks, Sheldon and Amy ultimately work so well as a couple.

The Original Plan For Amy

Amy has been integral to The Big Bang Theory for so long that it's difficult to remember a time when she wasn't on the show. Her character first debuted at the end of season three where she was set up with Sheldon for a date. The original plan was to only have her in a handful of episodes, but fans loved the Shamy relationship and the chemistry between Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons so much that Amy became a series regular instead, and her relationship with Sheldon became a focal point in the entire series.

It's certainly for the best that this happened as Amy has not only made the show funnier, but she's contributed greatly to the development of characters like Sheldon and Penny. It is also so important to see representation for female scientists, something Bialik brings with her performance and that she actually has a PhD in neuroscience.

The Harry Potter Connection

Sheldon and Amy connect well when it comes to their personalities and interests in science. It's generally thought that one key difference between them, though, is that Sheldon has a lot of nerdy interests while Amy is not a fan of these things. It is true that Amy is not a science-fiction or comic book enthusiast, but she and Sheldon do share a nerdy passion for Harry Potter.

This was clear in their very first date when Sheldon referred to Penny as a Muggle. Sheldon and Amy went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park and Amy even dressed up as a Hufflepuff to spice things up with Sheldon. Seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (a show that is currently quite expensive) was also mentioned as being part of their honeymoon.

Mayim Bialik's Doubts

Mayim Bialik as Amy Farrah Fowler in The Big Bang Theory

Sheldon and Amy have been a couple for so long that it's easy to forget there was a time when it seemed implausible to think that Sheldon could have romance in his life. Even Mayim Bialik felt this way early on as she doubted whether the romance would work with the Sheldon Cooper character that the show had created or with her new character.

Her doubts were quickly assuaged as the Shamy relationship worked quite well for both Sheldon and Amy's characters. Bialik deserves credit for this when considering her incredible acting and the chemistry she brought to all her scenes with Jim Parsons. Clever writing helped as well, along with the fact that Sheldon and Amy's romance has developed at a rather gradual pace over the course of the series.

The “Physical” Surprise

Sheldon and Amy posing for a picture at prom in TBBT

Sheldon and Amy finally getting together felt overdue to most fans, but Mayim Bialik did not feel that way. In fact, she was surprised Sheldon and Amy's relationship went there at all. Bialik admitted that she didn't think the relationship would've progressed that way if she had written it. Part of this seems rooted in what made Amy and Sheldon such a unique couple in the first place as Bialik shared that she “enjoyed being [in] the longest running romantic and intimate, [platonic] relationship on television.”

These feelings are also related to the newness of what it brought to the Shamy relationship that Bialik had grown accustomed to over the years. She seemed to have made peace with it, saying, “Everything is out of character until you do it and then it’s part of your character.”

Some Of The Writers Thought They'd Never Get Married

As is only natural, throughout the show, there were disagreements among The Big Bang Theory writers, some of which related to Sheldon and Amy's relationship. One disagreement was over whether the couple would ever get married. Some of the writers thought it should never happen as they didn't feel like marriage was something Sheldon would ever do.

Obviously, those writers didn't get their way as Sheldon proposed to Amy in the season 10 finale and their wedding became the focus of the season 11 finale. The Sheldon of earlier seasons, who had no interest in physical connection or romance, certainly wouldn't marry, but it does make sense given how much he and his relationship with Amy have developed over the years.

Why Meemaw Wasn't At The Wedding

The Big Bang Theory Meemaw

Sheldon and Amy's wedding featured a wonderful assortment of characters from the many seasons of The Big Bang Theory. One character quite important to Sheldon who was conspicuously absent was his grandmother. Showrunner Steve Holland revealed there were a couple reasons she was absent, the first of which that there were so many characters already at the wedding and at a certain point, they had to cut a few characters from attending the nuptials.

Meemaw was also cut because Young Sheldon aired after that episode of The Big Bang Theory and Holland felt it might feel odd to see Meemaw played by two different actresses in such quick succession. He also revealed that the episode originally featured a recorded phone message from Meemaw to Sheldon, but this was also cut because the episode ended up being too long. At least fans know Meemaw's absence had nothing to do with the previous tension between her and Amy.

Sheldon's Forward Request To Raj's Girlfriend

Emily and Raj Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory

It took a long time for Sheldon to get comfortable enough to be truly intimate with Amy, despite Amy wanting that connection very much. This made it all the more frustrating and surprising for Amy when Sheldon wanted to remove his clothes in front of Raj's girlfriend, Emily.

Context is essential to this, the context being that Emily was a dermatologist and Sheldon had some “odd freckles” that he wanted her to examine. It was a small joke in the scheme of things, but it is worth mentioning that Sheldon asked Raj's girlfriend to see him  in like that before Sheldon ever asked Amy, already his longtime girlfriend who he would eventually marry.

Jim Parsons Wanted More Intimate Scenes

Sheldon hugs Penny as a Christmas present

The lack of physical connection was a longtime component of the Sheldon and Amy relationship. After finally filming a scene of this caliber and its aftermath, Jim Parsons realized that he wanted more of those types of scenes. He was particularly enamored with the way his character talked in the aftermath, allowing him to speak in a way he's rarely been able to on the show.

He felt that “there's a whole other way to talk on this show that [he] didn't have access to before.” A lot would've had to change about Sheldon's character and his relationship with Amy for there to have been more of these scenes, but the appeal of getting to do a scene so different from what he was used to certainly makes sense.

Avoiding The Flu

Big Bang Theory Amy Sings Soft Kitty

Sheldon and Amy's first kiss was not only a big deal for the characters in the show, but was also a big deal to film as a significant milestone in the Shamy relationship. It wasn't exactly glamorous, though, as Jim Parsons had the flu the week the scene was filmed. The scenes had to be filmed, but Mayim Bialik was concerned about catching the flu.

In order to avoid catching it, she revealed that she rinsed her mouth out with hydrogen peroxide in between filming takes. The strategy worked as Bialik confirmed that she didn't get sick and it certainly didn't impact the quality of the scene when it aired.

Mayim Bialik's Apprehension About The Wedding

Sheldon and Amy - Big Bang Theory

Sometimes, real life can influence or even inhibit an actor's performance, and that's why Mayim Bialik was initially apprehensive when it came to filming the wedding scenes. Reflecting on her own experiences, Bialik admitted that: As a divorced woman, it’s hard to revisit that moment and those decisions. It’s still painful to think about putting on the dress you take vows in, the dress that is in every picture of the perfect, happy life you think you will have when you’re young and getting married.”

She also revealed that she was even afraid to read the episode's script because of her expectations. Ultimately, it is a testament to Bialik's emotional strength and her stellar acting that she was able to overcome these anxieties and deliver a beautiful performance during Sheldon and Amy's wedding. Amy's joy radiates throughout the entire episode and it is palpable for the audience.

Sheldon Once Showed More Affection To A Bird Than Amy

It was a long and, at times, difficult road for Sheldon to become more affectionate toward Amy. One of the lowest points in this road came when he showed more affection to a bird than his girlfriend. In season five, episode nine, “The Ornithophobia Diffusion,” Sheldon faced his phobia of birds and actually became quite attached to his feathered friend, whom he named “Lovey-Dovey.”

He spoke to Lovey-Dovey in a sweet, cooing voice and talked about all the wonderful things they were going to do together, to which Amy remarked, “Guess you gotta have some hollow bones to get some sugar around here.” While Sheldon was saddened when the bird flew out of the apartment window, it was probably for the best as it would've grown irritating for him to continually show more affection to a bird than Amy.

A Final Milestone For Shamy

Sheldon Dancing in The Big Bang Theory

The writers of The Big Bang Theory had many ideas on how the series should end. One possible ending they discussed was having Sheldon and Amy getting together for the first time. Of course, the series has gone far beyond that with the two characters becoming closer in their relationship and even getting married.

Had the show ended earlier, it would've been an intriguing way for things to culminate as the final milestone fans witnessed in the Shamy relationship, yet providing potential for so much more. For better or worse, fans weren't left to their imaginations and they've been able to see many more steps taken in the saga of Sheldon and Amy.

Stephen Hawking's Gift

Sheldon greatly valued his relationship with Stephen Hawking on the show, to the point that he asked for Stephen Hawking's blessing before proposing to Amy, to which Hawking replied that Sheldon should make her finger like Saturn and put a ring on it. Hawking tragically passed away in the spring of 2018, but the show paid tribute to him and his impact on Sheldon and Amy's relationship in an unaired, exclusive clip from the season 11 finale.

The clip features Sheldon and Amy receiving a wedding present that Hawking sent before he passed away. The gift is a pocket watch with an inscription that reads: “Sheldon, I'm so glad you finally married Amy. It's about time. Ha, ha, ha. Love, Stephen.”

How Season 12 Could've Opened

The Big Bang Theory Wedding Episode

With season 12 confirmed to be the final season of The Big Bang Theory, there was a great deal of speculation on how the season would open. Mayim Bialik herself even speculated that it would open with Sheldon and Amy's wedding reception, following their beautiful wedding ceremony from the season 11 finale.

Instead, the season opened with Sheldon and Amy's honeymoon. Choosing their honeymoon over the wedding reception as an opener was likely due to the fact that it would've been logistically challenging to get the numerous actors featured at the wedding (including Mark Hamill) to return for another episode months later. The honeymoon still worked well as fans got to see Sheldon and Amy enjoying Legoland and New York City.

Their Fan-Fiction Stories

Big Bang Theory Star Trek Fans

A fun connection that isn't often talked about in Sheldon and Amy's relationship is the fact that they have both written fan-fiction stories. Sheldon's fan-fiction is for Star Trek, something for which he's expressed his enthusiasm many times. Amy's fan-fiction is a little quirkier as it's for Little House on the Prairie. Amy even incorporated her relationship with Sheldon into her story, as a young woman named Amelia encountered a time-traveling physicist named Cooper.

Their respective fan-fictions served as a positive and creative outlet for both Sheldon and Amy, though Sheldon wrote his when he was much younger and Amy wrote hers while in a relationship with Sheldon. Her fan-fiction allowed her to channel some of her frustrations and desires when it came to her interactions with Sheldon. However, the story did not remain private as parts of it were read by Penny, Bernadette, and Leonard.

The Emotions Of Filming The Wedding

Sheldon and Amy in The Big Bang Theory season 11 finale wedding

Watching Sheldon and Amy's wedding was not only emotional for the fans and the characters in the show, but it was also emotional for the actors, particularly Mayim Bialik. She divulged that: “It is emotional to tell someone you love them even when you’re acting. The first time I read those lines, I got emotional for real. Because it is my job to embody this character and to feel what she feels.”

She also went on to say that: “I love Jim Parsons as my co-worker and friend. Although it’s sometimes hard to keep a straight face saying such lovey-dovey things, there’s no one I would rather say them to than Jim.” That authentic emotion certainly shined through as Amy and Sheldon's wedding was pure joy for audiences to watch and a beautiful milestone in the Shamy relationship.

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What's your favorite revelation about Sheldon and Amy's relationship in The Big Bang Theory? Let us know in the comments!