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!
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your
favorite stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the
bell so you don't miss a single one.
