You might think the cast of The Big Bang Theory would always be in the loop on big storylines — but when it came to Sheldon and Amy’s first time, no one saw it coming.
Mayim Bialik, who played Amy, was just as surprised as the fans. After Amy broke things off with Dave and reconciled with Sheldon, Mayim assumed their relationship would slowly get back on track. But the night before the table read, she decided — against her usual habit — to peek at the script early. What she found floored her.
Not long after, she ran into Jim Parsons (Sheldon) in the hallway. “Did you read the script yet?!” she asked. He hadn’t. So Mayim dropped the bomb: “Yes, we do it.” Jim’s reaction? Total disbelief. “What?!” he gasped, thinking it had to be a joke.
Even as the star of the show, Jim Parsons was blindsided, calling the twist “really insane.” What he loved most? That the show could still surprise him after so many seasons.
According to writer Tara Hernandez, the creative decision came from a place of emotional growth. Sheldon had to feel the weight of losing Amy — the breakup had to be real — in order for him to finally step into a new level of maturity and commitment.
Meanwhile, other cast members had similarly shocked reactions. Melissa Rauch, who played Bernadette, found out late at night. She shouted to her husband from another room in total disbelief, then joked with Mayim the next day about Amy finally “losing her V-card.”
But perhaps the most hilarious reaction came from Mayim’s own mom — who didn’t find out from her daughter. A friend saw the episode and called her, exclaiming, “I can’t believe I got to see them have it!” Mayim was mortified. “What?! I was so embarrassed to tell my own mother!” she later admitted, laughing.
To top it all off, the iconic episode opened with a Star Wars-style scrolling intro, timed perfectly with the real-life premiere of The Force Awakens. As the crawl faded to black with the line “They believe him,” Sheldon and Amy finally crossed a line fans never thought they’d see — making it one of the most unexpected (and oddly adorable) moments in Big Bang history.
