“Young Sheldon”’s Emily Osment Says the Finale Will 'Break Your Heart': Make Sure 'You Have Kleenex' (Exclusive)

The actress also tells PEOPLE how the show’s end on May 16 will mark the “end of an era”

For Emily Osment, wrapping Young Sheldonwas a bittersweet experience.

During an interview with PEOPLE in April, Osment, 32, reflected on the CBS comedy, which airs its final two episodes on Thursday, May 16. For the actress, becoming a series regular on Young Sheldon was an unexpected gift. She says what began as a guest appearance in one episode became much more.

“I'll never forget sitting on the steps outside my house and getting the call that I was going to do an episode of [Young] Sheldon,” she recalls. “I was like, ‘Oh, that sounds fun. I love Chuck Lorre.’”

Related: Young Sheldon'sCast Says Filming Series Finale Is 'Bittersweet': 'It Very Much Comes Full Circle' (Exclusive)

“I was just supposed to do one guest star appearance. That was my deal. It was one episode, and then they brought me back for two more, and then they brought me back for seven more,” she continues. “Then they brought me on as a regular.”

Mandy first appeared in season 5, eventually having a baby with George before finally tying the knot with him this season in city hall, surrounded by Meemaw (Annie Potts), Dale (Craig T. Nelson), Mary (Zoe Perry), George Sr. (Lance Barber), Missy (Raegan Revord), Georgie (Montana Jordan), Jim (Will Sasso) and Audrey (Rachel Bay Jones).

“I think a disaster courthouse wedding is kind of the only way Mandy and Georgie were supposed to do it,” Osment told PEOPLE at PaleyFest 2024 in April.

Related: Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik Return for Young Sheldon's Series Finale — First Look!

Mandy has become a fan favorite, so much so she and Georgie are getting their own spinoff series, George & Mandy’s First Marriage, which starts shooting this summer.Plot details are scarce, but when CBS announced the spinoff in March, the network hinted at the time the spinoff will revolve around Mandy and George raising their family in Texas “while navigating the challenges of adulthood, parenting, and marriage.”

Osment, for her part, hopes to explore her character beyond what was shown on Young Sheldon.

“It's hinted in the marriage episode that [Mandy] wants to go back to school, that she maybe wants to have a career, that she doesn't want to just be a stay-at-home mom, which is how I feel,” she told PEOPLE in April. “I think that's such a tremendous thing for mothers to also be working, and I can't wait to see what they do with that."

Related: Iain Armitage Honors Young Sheldon's Final Day of Filming and Looks Back at His First Day on Set

“[Mandy] was a weather girl," Osment continues. "I don't know if she'll go back there, but I'm excited to see what career she takes.”

For now, Osment wants to enjoy Young Sheldon’s final stretch — and she hopes viewers will, too.

“I can't wait for what's next, but I definitely want to give [Young] Sheldon its due,” she says, teasing, “The finale is going to truly break your heart. Make sure you're sitting down and you have Kleenex.”

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Young Sheldon’s two-part series finale airs Thursday, May 16, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

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