Jim Parsons, who plays Sheldon on the
CBS hit comedy The Big Bang Theory, has ended years of
speculation about his sexual orientation.
Parsons' low-key coming out is buried
deep inside a profile published Wednesday by The
New York Times.
While referring to Parsons' previous
role playing AIDS activist Tommy Boatwright in the Broadway
production of The Normal Heart, the paper wrote: “Mr Parsons
is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble
again onstage was like nourishment, he said.”
The 39-year-old Parsons did not
elaborate on his decision to publicly confirm his sexuality.
Parsons returns to the stage this
summer, leading a Broadway cast in the revival of the comedy Harvey.
In the play, Parsons plays Elwood P. Dowd, a character synonymous
with Jimmy Stewart, who played Dowd on Broadway and in the 1950 film.
“People may not like me as Elwood,
people may say 'I enjoyed Jimmy Stewart more,'” Parsons told the
Times.
The coming out follows those of White
Collar star Matt
Bomer and Star Trek's Zachary
Quinto, both of whom also shunned the big coming out interview in
favor of a brief mention.