Kunal Nayyar revealed a behind-the-scenes secret about Johnny Galecki’s odd habit on set, and it’s not what fans expected!
Turns out, The Big Bang Theory had more than just scientific experiments and comic book debates. It also had a wall covered in Johnny Galecki’s chewing gum. Kunal Nayyar, who played Raj Koothrappali on the show, spilled the behind-the-scenes secret during an appearance on Sunday Brunch with Express.co.uk. And yes, it’s as gross as it sounds.
For 12 years, Galecki, known for playing Leonard Hofstadter, had a peculiar habit of sticking his used chewing gum on a hidden set wall. Nayyar didn’t hold back, revealing, “Down there is nothing, there’s a wall there where Johnny Galecki, for 12 years, would stick his chewing gum on. I’m not joking; there’s a wall of 3,000 dried chewing gum from Johnny Galecki.”
Fans who watched the series know the infamous broken elevator forced Sheldon, Leonard, and Penny to use the stairs for years. But that staircase? It didn’t actually go anywhere. Nayyar explained how the cast faked climbing multiple floors: “The way it works is, you go down the stairs, and then they yell, ‘Hold.’ They change the scenery from like if the apartment says 1A, it suddenly says 2A or 3. They change the set so it looks exactly like another floor. You run back up the stairs, that go nowhere, and then you walk back down as if it’s a new floor.”
While the illusion fooled audiences, the reality was much less glamorous. At the bottom of those fake stairs? Not another hallway, not a basement, just a blank wall covered in layers of Galecki’s discarded gum. Host Tim Lovejoy struggled to wrap his head around it, but Nayyar confirmed the stomach-turning detail.
The revelation had fans cringing, but let’s be real, there are probably collectors out there who would shell out serious cash for that bizarre piece of Big Bang history. A wall full of celebrity gum? Someone, somewhere would call that “memorabilia.”
Looking back, the show had its fair share of quirky on-set moments. From the elaborate stair-climbing trick to bloopers and filming hacks, The Big Bang Theory wasn’t just about geek culture; it had its own share of off-screen oddities. But Galecki’s gum wall? That’s one detail fans won’t unsee anytime soon.
