The Big Bang Theory: 10 Biggest Secrets The Characters Kept

When a group is as large as the main cast in The Big Bang Theory, there are always going to be revelations to follow. Howard, Sheldon, Stuart, Bernadette, Raj, Penny, Amy, and Leonard made for a quirky circle of friends whose backstory and life decisions were usually presented in the form of secrets that were later revealed.

The characters would generally be secretive about embarrassing facts about their pasts which others would humorously find out one way or another. In the twelve years The Big Bang Theory was on-air, some of these secrets were more notable than others, and it’s worth remembering some of the series’ biggest.

10 The Guys: Howard’s Botching Of The Mars Rover

The whole gang of guys was in on the secret of how the Mars Rover was stuck in a ditch, as Howard accidentally got it there when nonsensically attempting to impress a date. The guys proceeded to wipe out all the records that showed Howard’s use of the Mars Rover, following which they held this information secret for years.

Sheldon ended up accidentally revealing it to an investigator from the FBI during a rant, which caused an estrangement between him and Howard for some time until Sheldon gave up his spot to him in apology. This was a huge secret, mainly due to the fact that it had legal ramifications.

9 Leonard: Kissing Another Woman While In A Relationship With Penny

At the end of season six, Leonard went to the North Sea on a research expedition where he had a great time partying with other scientists. Two years later, in the season eight finale, just before eloping with Penny, he admitted to her that he had kept long-held secret guilt of kissing another woman on the expedition.

Knowing the kind of honest person Leonard was, this was hidden information that went uncovered for years until he broke his own secret, as he didn’t want there to be anymore between him and Penny before they got married. While the story itself wasn’t popular with fans, and Penny’s anger was justified, she ultimately appreciated Leonard being honest with his secret guilt.

8 Bernadette: Her First Pregnancy

Bernadette had told Howard she had no intentions of being a mother, as raising her younger siblings had been a task she never enjoyed. This made her onscreen reveal of pregnancy a bombshell, which she didn’t immediately tell Howard, choosing to keep it a secret for some time until the right moment.

As it turned out, she was right to have some reservations, as the news freaked Howard out, who became worried that he didn’t have enough money to provide for his future child. The secret was also notable for the fact that it brought a change of character in Bernadette, as she grew to love the idea of being a mother.

7 Raj: His Family’s Enormous Wealth

The secret to Raj’s wealth was kept by him for four years from the series premiere to early in the fifth season. Raj kept this discreet information so as to keep up his image of being a sympathetic personality, only for this to come out when Sheldon figured the truth.

He learned this while notarizing Raj’s documents and claimed that the Koothrapalis were “Richie Rich rich,” making Raj a secret billionaire that his friends had known nothing about. All things considered, he was pretty impressive in keeping this under wraps considering just how enormously wealthy he was.

6 Stuart: His Inclusion In Wil Wheaton’s D&D Gang

Stuart loved being included in any group that would have him and was content in his outsider role in the social group. However, the guys learned that he was secretly part of Wil Wheaton’s celebrity group—which included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Willaim Shatner—that played Dungeons & Dragons together.

Stuart was able to keep this a secret due to Wil’s threat that he would kick Stuart out if he let anyone know. Unfortunately for him, the guys ended up finding out anyway, leading to Wil following through with his promise and giving Stuart the boot.

5 Howard: Hooking Up With His Cousin

The reveal of this information is a way of pointing out Howard’s character development, as it showed just how desperate he once was. He kept this a secret for more than a decade until saying it out loud when under the influence of pot brownies.

As it happened, Howard had lost his virginity to his cousin and didn’t tell anyone due to how embarrassing it was. Unfortunately for him, Leonard and Raj remembered the reveal of his secret and tormented Howard with this information for years, with his cousin even being Stuart’s date for the gang’s prom on the roof.

4 Amy: Her Need To Be Accepted In A Social Group

Amy never had any specific secrets, as she relished the excitement in the lives of others. However, she gradually revealed tidbits of her life prior to joining the group, with secrets such as her having imaginary friends, birthday parties for herself, and the fact that she used to cry about this.

She eventually admitted that her behavior upon her debut, which very much like Sheldon’s, had been her cover, as she didn’t want to be vulnerable around others. It was after she became secure with herself that Amy revealed her life’s secrets.

3 The Girls: Penny’s Plans To Break Up With Leonard

The number of speed bumps in the relationship of Leonard and Penny saw her contemplate breaking up with him at the start of season six, which she told Amy and Bernadette in confidence. The girls had a hard time keeping this secret, though, as it would mean breaking their group up, as well.

Amy had the most difficult time keeping this under wraps, eventually letting Sheldon in on the secret, which caused Penny to get angry at her. It ultimately worked out, though, as Sheldon’s request for Penny to go easy on Leonard led to her giving their relationship another chance.

2 Penny: Her Role In ‘Serial Ape-ist’

Penny’s acting career saw a number of embarrassing roles, as it never took off and she later abandoned it altogether. However, a long-held secret of hers was a role in ‘Serial Ape-ist,’ which had a B-movie plot and was considered the bottom of the barrel in moviemaking.

Funnily enough, Penny’s belief that this was a secret turned out to be false, as Howard uncovered the movie soon after he met her. Still, she did keep the information to herself for close to a decade until she got an offer for the film’s sequel.

1 Sheldon: His Intention To Propose To Amy

Sheldon is the last person to keep a secret as he considered it a burden he didn’t want. Yet, he did maintain a secret of his own, which was his intention to propose to Amy. He planned on following through with this in the season eight finale but couldn’t when Amy broke up with him.

Interestingly enough, Sheldon didn’t reveal the secret even after that, and it was his Meemaw who divulged this information to Amy. Knowing the kind of person Sheldon was, this secret was easily the biggest one that any character kept in the series.

About The Author

Saim Cheeda
(1363 Articles Published)

Saim Cheeda is an entertainment writer covering all of Film, TV, Gaming and Books. He’s been a writer for Valnet since 2017, contributing 500+ articles for The Gamer, The Things, Game Rant, Comic Book Resources and Screen Rant. Apart from freelance writing, Saim is a lifestyle blogger, co-owning the blog 3 States Apart.

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