Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons Says It Was the ‘Right Time’ to End the Show: ‘We Chewed All the Meat Off This Bone’

As The Big Bang Theory inches closer to its May series finale, Jim Parsons is reflecting on the decision to bid farewell to the CBS sitcom after 12 years.

In the newest issue of Entertainment Weekly, the man behind Sheldon Cooper spoke candidly about the series’ imminent end, revealing that he “just felt that it was time” for Big Bang‘s quirky characters to say goodbye.

“There is no negative reason to stop doing Big Bang. There are good reasons,” Parsons said. “We’ve been able to do this for so many years, it doesn’t feel like there is anything left on the table. Not that we couldn’t keep doing it; the writers could still think of wonderful things for us to do. But it feels like we chewed all of the meat off this bone.”

Parsons, who is now 45, added that it would have gotten tougher to convincingly play a character like Sheldon. “I’m firmly in my middle age now,” he noted. “I don’t know how much longer I can wear [the T-shirts] without looking really long in the tooth.”

Last August, shortly after CBS announced that Big Bang‘s 12th season would be its last, Parsons posted a lengthy note of gratitude on Instagram in which he thanked the show’s cast, crew and writers, while also acknowledging “our devoted viewers who are the ACTUAL reason we have been graced with the opportunity to explore these characters for 12 years of our lives.”