Is Young Sheldon and older Sheldon the same person?

Big Bang Theory lore is finally fusing together with the prequel — but is Young Sheldon and older Sheldon the same person?

Over the last 17 years, we’ve seen Sheldon Cooper as a child, teenager, and adult — with fans believing even more iterations of his life could be on the way.

In the present day, the prequel is about to come to an end with Season 7, though a sequel has been confirmed to carry on the torch of the Sheldon-verse.

However, it’s unclear if the genius Cooper will make an appearance — but are younger Sheldon and older Sheldon the same person?

Is Young Sheldon and older Sheldon the same person?

No — younger Sheldon is played by Iain Armitage, while older Sheldon is played by Jim Parsons.

It’s worth remembering that while Young Sheldon is the prequel, The Big Bang Theory came first. Airing from 2007-2019, it wasn’t until 2017 that the Sheldon-verse expanded into childhood.

The age difference is also incredibly noticeable, with Armitage currently 15 in real life, while Parsons is (unbelievably) 51. The numbers might be round the other way, but that’s as far as the similarities go.

Alongside being confirmed to physically appear in the Season 7 finale, Jim Parsons has stayed incredibly connected to the prequel, perhaps causing confusion. He serves as older Sheldon’s voiceover, which appears in every episode.

Speaking at the 2018 PaleyFest about Armitage’s casting [via The Things], Parsons explained: “We saw his audition on tape, and I don’t know how to put this other than to say it was kind of jaw-dropping. It was just trial by fire: if you can’t do this, you can’t trust him.”

Armitage also added on the Creative Coalition podcast: “I wasn’t really trying to replicate Mister Jim, I think I was sort of just showing that I was a kid who could take direction and also bring some of my own idea to it. I think that was kind of what they were looking for, and not as much just a complete impersonation of Mister Jim.”

While you wait for the next episode, you can catch up with our other Sheldon content like our Season 7 theories, filming locations, how to watch Season 7 outside the US, and when Season 7 will be coming to Netflix.

You can also check out all the best new TV shows coming out this month.