Johnny Galecki became one of television's biggest stars thanks to The Big Bang Theory.
But now that the long-running comedy has ended, he's no longer bound by a rigorous filming
schedule.
This is what he's up to now.
It's not easy to say goodbye.
After The Big Bang Theory premiered on CBS in September 2007, it ran for 12 successful
seasons until the final episode aired on May 16, 2019.
With more than a decade of work on the show, it's not surprising that Johnny Galecki has
taken his time to leave it behind.
He spent the months immediately following the finale regularly posting about the show
and his former castmates on Instagram.
In September 2019, for example, he shared side-by-side photos of himself and his onscreen
wife, Kaley Cuoco, along with the caption,
"What a difference 12 years of fake marriage makes.
Love you, Mooks."
Around the time of the 2019 Primetime Emmys, Galecki shared an emotional video featuring
clips from the series, as well as a look at its stars working behind the scenes, along
with the caption,
"Thank you, @televisionacad for highlighting one of my very favorite moments and sharing
#bts emotions and hard work made by all on the crew, Writer's Room and staff.
Much love."
"It's a lot of mixed feelings, you know.
It's gonna be bittersweet, and there'll be a whole lot of tears on the last day."
Bidding adieu to The Big Bang Theory may be even harder than expected for Johnny Galecki
considering that the show is already set to make a comeback.
After its original run ended in May 2019, the streaming rights for all twelve seasons
were picked up by HBO Max.
It will arrive there in the spring of 2020 for longtime fans to revisit and for new fans
to discover.
The show will also continue to enjoy reruns on TBS until 2028, giving viewers plenty of
time to watch and rewatch each of its 279 episodes.
Co-creator, Chuck Lorre said in a statement,
"I am forever grateful to have been part of something as extraordinary as The Big Bang
Theory.
All of us...recognize that 12 seasons of laughter is a gift to be cherished.
And now we are extremely excited that TBBT will be joining the HBO Max lineup and be
available to both existing and future fans of the show.
Laughter has legs!"
It looks like Galecki and his co-stars will remain part of mainstream audiences' viewing
routines for years to come!
Leonard Hofstadter isn't Galecki's only long-running TV character.
Years before he became roommates with Jim Parsons' Sheldon Cooper, Galecki appeared
on Roseanne as David Healy, on-and-off boyfriend and eventual husband of Darlene Conner.
In 2018, he stepped back into the role for the Roseanne revival and its spinoff series,
The Conners.
In August 2019, he posted an on-set picture of himself alongside co-stars Sara Gilbert
and Laurie Metcalf helping him into a pair of slick black jeans along with the caption,
"Twenty some years later I'm still in awe of this freakass carnie group who adopted
me early on and still learn so very much from each of them whenever in their presence."
"You take left, I'll take right."
"Let me do it!
You don't know where everything goes.
When speaking about the show with Parade Magazine in March 2019, Galecki noted,
"That’s kind of my second home with those folks and I still have a bit of a high school
crush on that character...It was creepy how quickly David reemerged.
Most of it was putting the boots back on, but it was downright creepy.
These characters reside in you."
After years of starring on one of the industry's most popular shows, it would be understandable
if Galecki wanted to take a step back from the business, but that doesn't seem to be
the case.
For example, he took a minor part in the 2019 movie A Dog's Journey.
Additionally, his production company is behind the sitcom Bait & Tackle, which CBS bought
in November 2018, with Galecki serving as executive producer.
The show revolves around three adult siblings who must step up to run a bait and tackle
shop when the family patriarch retires.
Galecki discussed producing with Behind the Brand in May of 2019.
He noted that he made the mistake that a lot of actors make by assuming that the production
process started on his own start date and ended with the wrap party.
But as he eventually realized, that's only a small percentage of the process.
"And so I wanted to be more a part of the storytelling.
I wanted to be in the room when that seminal idea is hatched."
For Galecki, being a part of the process is about fulfilling his desire to nurture and
cultivate ideas and then have pride in the projects that he sees to fruition.
Along with being a successful actor and emerging producer, Galecki is also an enthusiastic
musician.
He's been dipping his toes into that side of the entertainment industry for years, and
he's still getting into the groove on a regular basis.
He's appeared in music videos in the past, including Dave Matthews Band's "Satellite"
and Badflower's "Heroin," and he often takes to Instagram to post photos of himself playing
guitar on his own or attending industry events with musicians.
Galecki isn't just a guitarist.
He's also been known to whip out the drumsticks, and he's even played on stage in front of
an audience with singer-songwriter Randy Houser, who told Taste of Country in 2017,
"Johnny has become one of my dear friends and a lot of times when he gets through taping
he'll just jump on the bus and go ride with me for a few days.
At first he was a little bit shy about it, but I was like, 'Get your ass up here.'"
"I love you, bud.
Hey!"
"Yeah?"
"Are you done talking?"
"Now I am, when you put it that way.
'Are you done talking?'"
Johnny Galecki may be keeping himself busy with other work since Big Bang ended, but
that doesn't mean that he's not also taking time to enjoy a schedule that's presumably
a little more flexible.
And that means he has plenty of time to travel.
Anyone who follows him on Instagram knows that he's shared glimpses at his enviable
trips.
He's posted photos of himself posing in front of a big red barn in Nashville, standing under
colorful umbrella art in Paris, sitting in front of a carousel in Florence, and hanging
out barefoot on a rocky beach in Sicily.
Wherever he happens to be, Galecki is often joined by loved ones.
He spends plenty of time with his friends, who are sometimes famous themselves, such
as his Conners co-star Sara Gilbert.
He's also made time for family, including an adorable moment of himself with his godson
chilling on the star's motorcycle.
Galecki has also lately been spending time with someone very special: his girlfriend,
Alaina Meyer.
The two have been dating since 2018 and first went Instagram-official in July of that year
when the actor posted a black-and-white photo of himself and credited Meyer for the shot.
Since then, they've regularly shared images of themselves celebrating special occasions
and enjoying sweet moments together.
On Galecki's birthday in 2019, Meyer posted a fun-filled collection of pictures along
with the message,
"Happy birthday to this miraculous man!
I feel so lucky every day I get to wake up with him.
I love you mister."
Galecki returned the sentiment on Meyer's birthday that same year, sharing his own gallery
of images and the missive,
"Happy Birthday to @alainamariemeyer.
My Queen.
My muse.
My friend.
My Love.
You are an incredible light and I will never let you forget it."
Galecki and Meyer have also enjoyed each other's company while out and about, including a boat
ride during the opening of the remodeled Statue of Liberty Museum.
In the corresponding pictures, the couple can be seen posing like the super cool duo
they obviously are and sharing an embrace that's almost too cute for words.
Some of Galecki's fans have been wondering if he and Meyer are getting married anytime
soon, especially after he posted a photo of the two of them and included "#Vegas" in the
caption.
Alas, Meyer seemed to quell any speculation that same day by posting a photo with the
hashtag #notmarried, although she did add "yet" and a winky-face emoji.
While Galecki and Meyer aren't married yet, their relationship has taken a huge step forward.
In May 2019, they revealed that they're expecting their first child.
Galecki took to Instagram to share the life-changing development, announcing,
"We are absolutely over the moon to announce that we will soon be welcoming a little one
into this crazy and wonderful world.
We ask that you please respect our privacy during this celebratory time for us and our
families.
There truly is love out there for all.
We hope ours is the ember of yours, as we feel yours is the ember of ours."
Later that same month, the pair relished in a paint-splattering party, which is when they
found out that they were having a boy.
Galecki called it a day that he'll never forget in the caption of a post that showed the coverall-wearing
parents-to-be sharing a kiss.
The actor has also posted other baby-related pictures since the pregnancy announcement,
such as a shot of his Sunday reading material: a book entitled The Expectant Father: The
Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be.
Hopefully that reading prep paid off by December 4, 2019, which is when both Galecki and Meyer
posted on Instagram to announce the arrival of their son into the world.
Life isn't always sunshine and roses for Johnny Galecki.
In 2017, his California ranch was damaged in the state's devastating wildfires.
He said in a statement,
"My heart goes out to all in the area who are also experiencing loss from this vicious
fire.
It's never the structures that create a community, it's the people.
If the people of Santa Margarita have taught me anything it's that, once the smoke has
cleared, literally and figuratively, it's a time to reach out and rebuild."
"Throughout, everyone's been really supportive, and, you know, you kind of have to find the
silver linings and the dark humor in it."
Alas, Galecki was either unwilling or unable to rebuild his own piece of the neighborhood,
and in 2019, he put the property on the market for $825,000, down from the $1.2 million he
paid for it in 2011.
The new owner would be able to enjoy the 160-acre estate that used to be the home of a 3,588-square-foot
log cabin.
The property also includes several rustic outbuildings scattered across seven acres
of vineyards, an infinity-edge swimming pool and spa, several ponds, and pomegranate, orange,
and nut trees.
Hopefully, this property that experienced a nightmare fire will become someone's new
dream home.
Johnny Galecki is incredibly rich and as long as he doesn't do anything ridiculously foolish,
he'll continue to add to his bank account thanks to The Big Bang Theory alone.
When the show first hit the small screen in 2007, he was making just over $1 million per
season.
But that's a mere fraction of the $1 million per episode that he was raking in by the end
of the series' run in 2019.
In fact, according to Forbes, Galecki was the second-highest-paid actor on TV in 2018,
making $25 million pretax in just 12 months thanks to his main gig and side projects.
The only person he was behind was his Big Bang costar Jim Parsons, who banked $26.5
million.
Thanks to this staggering salary over so many years, Galecki is estimated to be worth around
$100 million.
He'll also reportedly continue to make around $10 million per year for the next decade thanks
to the syndication of Big Bang, which will keep making fans laugh and keep making its
stars a lot of money for many years to come!
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