Considering her substantial role in Young Sheldon, it’s curious where Paige is in The Big Bang Theory. Played by McKenna Grace, Paige was introduced in the prequel spin-off’s second season as another child prodigy in Dr. John Sturgis’ class. Like Sheldon, Paige is highly intellectual, perhaps even more so than Sheldon. However, she is better adjusted and more social than its titular character. Immediately upon meeting, Sheldon starts viewing her as a rival, but she doesn’t seem to mind the competition. In fact, she never really felt threatened by Sheldon as she is more focused on making friends and having fun.

Young Sheldon has established itself separately from its parent series in its last few seasons. While The Big Bang Theory definitely helped in launching the show, diversifying its storytelling is arguably one of the best things to ever happen to the family show. Despite the countless plot inconsistencies between the projects, however, CBS maintains The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon still exist in the same universe. Given this, it only makes sense that there’s curiosity about what happened to the characters in the prequel during Sheldon’s time in the nerd-centric sitcom. Almost all Cooper family members visited Pasadena, but Paige never made any appearances.

Where Was Paige During The Big Bang Theory?

Paige’s story is currently in limbo in Young Sheldon.

Paige isn’t a series regular in the prequel, but CBS was able to find a way to develop her personal arc by regularly bringing her back as a guest star. Despite her potential in the early seasons of Young Sheldon, her story has become one of the darker plots in the prequel. Paige shows how dark The Big Bang Theory could have been if the socially inept genius didn’t find a solid support system in the Pasadena gang with Leonard, Penny, and the rest of the gang. She started to lose her way after the divorce of her parents, convinced that it was her fault.

Instead of focusing on school and her goals, she decided to rebel by dropping out of high school, although she did admit to Sheldon that she was just so unhappy. Paige’s story is currently in limbo; the last time she was in Young Sheldon, she and Missy were busted for underage driving. While it’s difficult to say what’s next for the character, as there’s no guarantee that the shortened Young Sheldon season 7 will bring her back, her future doesn’t look good. Unless she gets an epiphany and turns herself around, it’s likely that she will end up living in misery while Sheldon starts making waves at Caltech.

Why Sheldon Never Mentioned Paige In The Big Bang Theory

Despite how smart he is, Sheldon can be very insecure.

The Big Bang Theory season 12 found a way to bring in Tam, Sheldon’s first friend, despite having never mentioned him before. Apparently, the pair had a falling out due to Tam’s decision to stay in Texas despite his previous pact with Sheldon about moving to California to attend Caltech. It’s possible that he intentionally kept Paige’s existence a secret because he didn’t want his Pasadena friends to learn that there was someone with a comparable intellect who didn’t struggle with social norms in Texas. Despite how smart he is, Sheldon can be very insecure, and dealing with Paige, especially in earlier seasons of Young Sheldon threatened him.

While the pair’s relationship has been tumultuous thus far because of their intellectual rivalry, they’re still considered friends. So much so that in Young Sheldon‘s 100th episode, Paige reaches out to Sheldon for an odd favor — let her hide in her college dorm room. It’s worth noting that when her parents broke up, Paige started rebelling, and Sheldon surprisingly, became more empathetic towards her. Since then, Paige has only gotten worse by intentionally endangering herself. Sheldon may not have wanted to revisit what happened to her, considering how dark and saddening her arc has become.

What Happened To Paige After The Big Bang Theory

Whether Young Sheldon season 7 brings back Paige is currently uncertain.

In Young Sheldon season 6, CBS brought back Paige more frequently than in previous seasons. Firstly, Sheldon found her sneaking out at a party with college kids and pretending to be one of them. Luckily for him, he accidentally ran into Missy, who was also at the said parties. They were able to convince her to stop wandering, although it was unclear how she got home after sleeping in Sheldon’s dorm. Secondly, Missy recruited her on her daring joyride to Florida, although they were caught just before they were able to cross the border. Mary and George reprimanded Missy, but there hasn’t been any word about Paige at this point.

Whether Young Sheldon season 7 brings back Paige is currently uncertain. However, if the writers decide to focus on the Coopers’ story and drop everything else that doesn’t impact their arc, it’s possible that being caught with Missy will be the final official update about Paige. Since Sheldon never mentioned or even alluded to her existence in the nerd-centric sitcom, Young Sheldon is the only opportunity left for CBS to address this burning mystery. It’s worth noting that the next The Big Bang Theory spin-off will not be on the network, but will be on Max (formerly HBO Max) instead.

Why Paige Is Important To BOTH Missy And Sheldon

She is a reminder of what Sheldon’s life could have been like.

When Paige debuted in Young Sheldon, she was the perfect foil for Sheldon. She was a genius but not she still acted as a child. As her tragic personal narrative played out, however, it has become a cautionary tale for both Sheldon and Missy. She is a reminder of what Sheldon’s life could have been like if he didn’t have the support of his family and everyone who cared about him. As problematic as the Cooper parents are, there’s no denying that they love Sheldon. Mary may have been more obvious in her affection, but George has time and again shown that he also cares deeply about his youngest son.

As for Missy, Paige’s fall from grace should be enough to scare her about the consequences of rebelling. The fact that the only Cooper daughter called Sheldon’s fellow child prodigy to recruit for his daring joyride suggests that she has been looking at her rebellious acts in an effort to get her parents to notice her. It may take a while before Missy fully redeems herself, but seeing how life has turned out for Paige should convince her to get back on the straight path in Young Sheldon.