As his 'Star Trek' hero Mr. Spock might say, this is 'fascinating.' When Chuck Lorre was asked to define Sheldon Cooper's sexual orientation on 'The Big Bang Theory,' his answer wasn't gay. It wasn't straight. Not even asexual or nonsexual or unsexual. Lorre settled on the term 'other,' for Sheldon. Lorre told Michael Ausiello in Entertainment Weekly that Sheldon's focus is not on the physical; it's on physics. And when Ausiello asked 'Big Bang Theory' star Jim Parsons what he thought, Parsons said that the object of Sheldon's affection would be the Nobel Prize, not another human being. Hearing the word that Dr. Sheldon Cooper has been awarded the Nobel Prize in theoretical physics would be Sheldon's turn on. "That's the warm embrace that he longs for," said Jim.
This isn't the first time that questions have arisen about Sheldon's state of being. Last year there were some saying his lack of interest in human interaction was a sign that he had a form of autism called Asperger's Syndrome. Lorre and co-creator Bill Prady shot that one down, just like Lorre has blasted the notion of Sheldon's sexuality, in particular his disinterest in women, as a sign that he's gay.
While Howard, Raj and Leonard are all in need of sexual healing of the female persuasion, Sheldon's simply unmoved by sexual desire of any brand. "'Alternate reality' is another way of looking at it," said Lorre. "Characters like Sheldon are drawn to an alternate reality that might be more comforting than the ones they live in. And why modify that? Why not let the character be that unique?"
Sheldon is a unique character, and if he's like any other being we've seen and loved on TV, it might be Mr. Spock. If you recall, no matter how Nurse Chapel tried, Spock was simply uninterested in romantic entanglements. He only displayed real sexual urges in the 'Amok Time' episode, and that was strictly biological. Still, TV fans wanted to see Spock in love. And, perhaps, that's what we're seeing with Sheldon.
Jim Parsons thinks so. He told Ausiello, "People want to see him cared for in a way that those of us a little more average have been able to experience through love."
Lorre concluded that "...If touching other human beings of any gender is irrelevant to him, why label the thing? Why can't there be a third gender - male, female and Sheldon?" Why indeed?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
2-10-2010 @ 9:08AM
C.A. said...
I think that the only female that could attract Sheldon's attention would be one that is a super genius. Maybe someone who discovers something he was trying to figure out. Then again, he might just dislike her or analyze her and she would probably be the same.
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2-10-2010 @ 2:59PM
Gloria J.Anderson said...
Who cares, he's funny.
2-10-2010 @ 4:41PM
Marshy said...
Yeah, possibly. It could just be that Sheldon is extremely, and I mean EXTREMELY, picky. I bet he would want a woman who is very smart, and is like his mom in many ways. (there is a theory that a lot of people go after partners who are like their parents, and I think it might work in Sheldon's case)
I always just pictured him as asexual, since he seems to dislike human contact and social interaction in general, but I don't really care what his orientation is. He's a really funny character, and I applaud Jim Parsons, the actor, it seems like a character like Sheldon would be really hard to play.
2-10-2010 @ 4:32PM
JIll said...
I'm waiting for Sheldon and Penny to get together. It will happen. Sheldon is also fine on his own!
2-10-2010 @ 5:06PM
MomHadIt said...
Once, Howard said that one day Sheldon would eat so much Chinese food that he would replicate himself. At the end of the episode, he rattled and produced ANOTHER Sheldon, so he is neither gay nor straight. Sheldon would do well in a relationship with Penny. He hugged her once when she gave him a napkin that Leonard Nemoy used at her Cheesecake Factory.
2-10-2010 @ 6:36PM
deb said...
i think all the characters on the Big Bang are outstanding and it is about time we have some really funny intellectual stuff on tv instead of so much physical violence
Sheldon is great, who cares about his sexuality?
2-10-2010 @ 7:21PM
Lori said...
I agree with Gloria J. Anderson.....Who cares, he's funny. Besides its just a TV show.
2-10-2010 @ 9:40AM
Galley said...
How could anyone not like women? They're only the best thing ever!
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2-10-2010 @ 3:18PM
David S. said...
Eh...some of them.
2-10-2010 @ 5:51PM
jeff said...
your right, I love my mom and sisters.
2-10-2010 @ 9:47AM
Brad said...
Hardly gay. More like asexual.
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2-10-2010 @ 12:01PM
Patti said...
If anyone on the show is gay, it has to be Raj.
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2-10-2010 @ 2:11PM
Angela said...
agree!!
2-10-2010 @ 2:29PM
mdk said...
Sheldon quite obviously has Asperger Syndrome characterized by extreme difficulties with social interaction and obsessive interests in certain subjects (Physics for him). He's most likely asexual because he has no other choice as people with AS tend toward a lack of social or emotional reciprocity, and impaired nonverbal behaviors in areas such as eye contact, facial expression, posture, and gesture, which makes it highly unlikely that he would even be able to attract a mate, much less be able to sustain a long-term relationship.
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2-10-2010 @ 2:49PM
Glen said...
I agree, Chuck Lorre has observed someone with AS somewhere and has internalized that whether he wants to admit it or not.
2-10-2010 @ 8:45PM
caiuslupus said...
Being weird does not require mental illness. I've known lots of people like Sheldon, not an Aspergers among them.
2-10-2010 @ 4:46PM
fiorellaurbinati said...
He is definitly autistic and that's what's great about him, to be above all and be totally unique. I have a child with autism and kids like that are fantastic!
2-10-2010 @ 5:26PM
Tcolemanhayner said...
I'm a special ed teacher and I agree; Sheldon deffinately has autistic-like characteristics. ASD (autisum spectrim disorder) students are my favorite kids to teach; they're GREAT!
2-10-2010 @ 6:31PM
SKW said...
Sheldon has Aspberger's Syndrome. Anyone who has ever been near a special education class or taken even one psychology course knows this. What Lorre has obviously done is observed or read about someone with a genious intellect and odd tendencies and wrote a character the same way. He may not have realized the person had this affliction when he wrote the character, but it's there. As a side note, Sherlock Holmes also has Aspberger's.
2-10-2010 @ 1:27PM
Charles said...
I tend to favor "consciously asexual." I suspect, at some level, Sheldon recognizes his personality quirks and the structure he builds around friendships (I'm thinking of the roommate agreement) are not conducive to a romantic relationship. In the latter, greater consideration for your partner, flexibility, and give-and-take are of greater importance. He realizes would need to work on that (perhaps professionally), but doesn't see the value relative to other things consuming his time (his quest for a Nobel, video game night, etc.). So, he chooses not to play.
OK, that precludes a relationship; why not just sex? Sheldon views himself as an ethical man, and would not go there. You might even consider his religious upbringing as a factor.
Possible end game for the series: his friendship with Penny forces him, over time, to recognize this gap is affecting his ability to relate to all sorts of people. Once he gets his Nobel, he's off to therapy.
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