Fans discover photo of “real” Young Sheldon

Jasmine Valentine
Iain Armitage as Young Sheldon

Season 7 has just begun, but now Young Sheldon fans have found a “real” photo of him online — with Hollywood royalty as the actual child pictured.

Sheldon Cooper is a sitcom character who has really scratched an itch for many fans of Young Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory. Peculiar and particular, both his signature habits and trademark look are key parts of his popularity.

While TBBT wrapped up back in 2019, Young Sheldon is about to draw to a close with its seventh and final season. Picking up when the middle Cooper child is 14 years old, Sheldon heads to Germany to continue his education.

However, now that Young Sheldon fans are waiting for Episode 2 to be released, some think they have found a “real” photo of him — despite the actual child being a well-known name.

Fans discover photo of “real” Young Sheldon

Fans of Young Sheldon think that they have found a photo of the real deal online — although the childhood photo actually belongs to one Martin Scorsese.

The Killers of the Flower Moon director was 9 years old in the original photo, making him the same age as Sheldon when we pick up his story in the prequel during Season 1. Scorsese’s snap was apparently taken in 1951 during his first communion.

Even when the photo began circling Twitter late last year, fans made an instant connection to Iain Armitage’s fictional character — but now a viral post has taken that idea and ramped it up.

“Welcome back Young Sheldon” the caption reads, with fans weighing in “Somebody made a younger Sheldon??”

“Now we need Old Sheldon starring Martin Scorsese,” a third fan mused. “Look at him… that bow tie is too big guys,” another noticed, harking back to Sheldon’s first day at Medford High and how he refused to attend if he wasn’t wearing his classic bow tie.

Don’t get it wrong, though — Martin Scorsese actually has nothing to do with Young Sheldon, real or otherwise. The prequel has had plenty of hit cameos across its seven seasons, such as Ray Liotta, Elon Musk, Reba McEntire, and Jason Alexander, but never the King of Comedy himself.

Young Sheldon Season 7 Episode 2 airs on CBS on February 22, 2024.

About The Author

Jasmine Valentine is a TV and Movies Writer on Dexerto's UK team. She's the go-to source for all things Young Sheldon and Virgin River. Jasmine has also written for the likes of Total Film, The Daily Beast, and Radio Times. You can contact her at jasmine.waters@dexerto.com

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