The inevitable happened and George Sr. passed away in the third to last episode of Young Sheldon. This tragic though expected news has fans thinking back to all the mentions adult Sheldon made about his father in The Big Bang Theory. As a prequel series, Young Sheldon provided an opportunity to solidify or debunk the stories Sheldon told about his family while he was growing up.
For the most part, much of what he said was correct, if not embellished or slightly twisted to fit a narrative. However, many things that older Sheldon had to say about his father appeared to be a defense mechanism. Sheldon might not fully have processed his father’s death and to help him reconcile with it, he remembered him in the worst light. In other instances, the show has corrected beliefs Sheldon thought were true about his dear dad.
Here’s a breakdown of 15 misconceptions Sheldon had about George Sr., based on what we’ve seen in both The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon:
1. George Didn’t Force Sheldon to Play or Watch Football
Sheldon’s Version: In The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon displays outstanding knowledge of football. It surprises both the audience and the rest of the characters because it goes against Sheldon’s entire geeky personality. However, Sheldon explained that his father made him watch uncountable football games when he was a child.
Reality: Of course, George would watch a lot of football on the family television, and at times, take away Sheldon’s possession of the controller, but that doesn’t mean he ever made Sheldon watch football. George knew his child and never expected him to show any interest in sports. He did try to force Georgie to play football, but when Georgie insisted he didn’t want to, he gave up pretty quickly.
2. George Didn’t Yell in the Way Sheldon Describes as an Adult
Sheldon’s Version: In Season 3, Episode 7 of The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon imitates a fight between his two parents that makes George seem pretty abusive. Sheldon makes it look like George used to yell at his mother when he was drunk. Apparently, once when Mary told George that she was going to leave him if he kept drinking, George, while yelling, called her a liar because he was “drunk as hell.”
Reality: George and Mary didn’t have the smoothest marriage, but George cared about his wife. Sometimes they used to bicker and even argue in a high tone of voice, but never in the abusive matter that Sheldon describes. These dialogues do sound like something George would say but like a casual joke. Maybe Sheldon, as a toddler, interpreted these interactions more dramatically.
3. George Didn’t Cheat on His Wife with Multiple Women
Sheldon’s Version: In Season 4, Episode 20 of The Big Bang Theory, “The Herb Garden Germination”, Sheldon implies that his father cheated on Mary with a bartender who tried to buy his love with action figures. George did spend a lot of time in the bar, but it seems unlikely he would have an affair with a bartender.
Reality: It’s possible that, at some point, someone did try to gift Sheldon action figures when he was a child. Because Sheldon knows so little about adult relationships, he likely thought this woman had an affair with his father. At times, Sheldon isn’t the best at reading social interactions, an issue that Young Sheldon often explores.
4. George Wasn’t Fired From a Store in Young Sheldon
Sheldon’s Version: In another of the unsavory stories Sheldon tells about his father in The Big Bang Theory, he comments that he once got his father fired by notifying his boss that he was stealing from the cash register. For most of the series, George worked as a football coach, but he did have a job as a salesman with Dale in his Sporting Goods store. However, George wasn’t fired from the store.
Reality: You know, my father took me to work once, and in ten minutes I figured out who’d been stealing from the cash register. It was my father. Yeah, Dad lost his job, but Mr. Hinckley gave me a Fudgsicle.
George took his responsibility of providing for his family very seriously, so it was unlikely he would jeopardize it by stealing from the cash register. Georgie did, however, leave the store open and all the money from the cash register was stolen, which got him fired for a little bit. It’s possible that Sheldon, who never really paid attention to his family’s problems, mixed all of this information.
5. George Didn’t Have Sex with Another Woman in His House
Sheldon’s Version: In a scene with Penny, Sheldon tells him that when he was 13 years old and
