Big Bang Theory finale: Johnny Galecki recounts emotional moment he 'said goodbye to Leonard'

The Big Bang Theory cast taped their last episode of the CBS comedy Tuesday evening on the Warner Bros. lot, but Johnny Galecki held off on bidding his character goodbye until shortly after the lights dimmed on Stage 25. As he recounted to TVLine at the show’s wrap party on Wednesday, “I took a little walk by myself around the [soundstage] after we wrapped and kind of said goodbye to Leonard — as odd and crazy as that sounds.”

The emotional impact of the historic night hit Galecki hard, the actor admitted. “I was so worried about [co-star] Kaley [Cuoco] and her being overcome with emotion,” he explained in the above video Q&A. “I ended up being the quivering puddle of tears on the floor. Starting off the show last night was tough. But then you gotta do your damn job, and put the tears aside and try to make people laugh. It was a terribly, terribly moving night.”

As challenging as it was to say goodbye, Galecki nonetheless maintains that it was “absolutely” the right decision to end Big Bang this season (the final episode airs May 16). “Everyone was on the same page,” he noted, “and [we] had talked for years about 12 being the right number.”