Young Sheldon offers a tragic background to a recurring joke in The Big Bang Theory. One of the main characters in the nerd-centric CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) is characterized not only by his outstanding intellectual capacity, but also by his quirky demeanor. Both of these aspects are well-exhausted for their humor potential, providing the show's viewers with entertainment for 12 seasons. However, these jokes are made at the expense of Sheldon, with one, in particular, being rooted in a traumatizing childhood experience.
Sheldon has always been portrayed as someone irrationally afraid of hospitals. For instance, when Howard Wolowitz's mother was rushed to the hospital following a heart attack-like incident, Sheldon explicitly expressed his hesitation to visit his friend in need. Similarly, when Bernadette (Melissa Rauch) had to be quarantined followed by exposure to a deadly virus in her workplace, he was visibly uncomfortable to even be in the same room as her. Then, when Leonard (Johnny Galecki) needed to undergo corrective sinus surgery, Sheldon even crunched the numbers in order to prove how dangerous the procedure could be. This fear has been repeatedly exhibited in multiple episodes across The Big Bang Theory, and it has always been played for laughs. But as Young Sheldon eventually reveals, it has a deeper and tragic source.
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As it turns out, Sheldon's fear of hospitals, which has unfailingly received laughter from both the characters and the audience, goes beyond his mysophobia, or fear of germs and contamination. This is the simple justification The Big Bang Theory’s 12 seasons have given. From season 1, Young Sheldon sheds light on this matter when Sheldon's father, George Sr. (Lance Barber) survives a mild heart attack. Since the patriarch's mortality has already been established in the parent show, the Young Sheldon episode “Poker, Faith, and Eggs” gives the Coopers — and the audience — a good scare. The sight of George struggling for his life as nurses attend to him and his wife Mary (Zoe Perry) clutches his hand affects Sheldon the most. In fact, this leaves Sheldon so mortified that he even pays a visit to the hospital chapel for a moment of peace and prayer. Sadly, this moment develops into a fear that modifies his behavior until adulthood.
George Sr. has had several health scares through Young Sheldon's run so far. Every time it happens, his family goes through the same distress, impacting and upsetting his children, especially Sheldon. In The Big Bang Theory, it has been demonstrated that George Sr. has shaped his youngest son’s habits, like Sheldon's mannerism of knocking three times. It is then unsurprising that being repeatedly subjected to the same trauma has left a long-lasting difference in Sheldon’s life.
Furthermore, the way The Big Bang Theory relates Sheldon’s fear, with its characters laughing at him for sharing his worry, just makes it all the more tragic and disappointing. Granted, the real story behind this character quirk might have only been conceptualized later for Young Sheldon, but it still seems concerning that none of Sheldon’s friends ever asked for a deeper explanation. After all, it is not a random trait that he developed out of nowhere, but a deeply rooted source of anxiety.