What Happened to ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Star Johnny Galecki? Details
Johnny Galecki starred on ‘The Big Bang Theory’ from 2007 until 2019 as the character Leonard Hoftstadter.
Published May 1 2025, 3:03 p.m. ET
Actor Johnny Galecki has decades in Hollywood, dating back to his childhood days starring in classics such as National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Roseanne. However, it was his role on the highly successful sitcom The Big Bang Theory that catapulted him onto the A-list. After the series ended, though, he all but vanished from the public eye.
Johnny starred on The Big Bang Theory from 2007 until 2019 as the character Leonard Hoftstadter, an experimental physicist with a 173 IQ who received his Ph.D. at 24 years old.
What happened to Johnny Galecki?
After riding high for 12 seasons on the popular CBS sitcom, Johnny, unlike the majority of his co-stars, practically retreated from the spotlight and left fans to wonder what exactly happened to him.
In a February 2024 interview with Architectural Digest, Johnny opened up to the outlet that after The Big Bang Theory ended, he officially left Hollywood for Nashville and became a father in 2019 to a son named Orbison with ex-girlfriend Alaina Meyer — the couple ended their relationship in 2020. Johnny has since remarried to a woman named Morgan and the couple welcomed their child, Oona Evelena, shortly after their nuptials.
“I never felt like much of an Angeleno,” he told the outlet. “And I did try. I say that with sadness, not with snobbery. Thirty years is just a very long time to live in a city that you’re not all that comfortable in.”
Did Johnny Galecki retire?
By all appearances, it did seem that Johnny’s five-year acting hiatus possibly served as his official retirement from the world of Hollywood. However, fans were pleasantly surprised when he resurfaced in April 2025 with a familiar face.
Johnny and former The Big Bang Theory co-star Kaley Cuoco came together to star in an ad for the mobile puzzle game Royal Kingdom, per Men’s Journal. In an Instagram post, Kaley shared her feelings of her reunion with Johnny. “This was so fun to shoot! Back together with my buddy JG,” to which he responded, “It truly was. XO.”
What have Johnny and Kaley said about their past relationship?
Johnny and Kaley previously dated during their time on the series, and reflected on their past union in the book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.
"We were both dating people at the time, but I only had eyes for Johnny,” Kaley said in an excerpt from the book, per Vanity Fair. “Then, when I found out he had eyes for me too, I was like, ‘Uh‑oh, this is going to be trouble.’"
"I have a healthy ego, but you really have to kind of club me over the head to let me know you're flirting with me," Johnny said in the book of being unaware that Kaley was attracted to him. "I had zero idea of any sort of crush before Kaley and I began dating."