Macaulay Culkin Reveals He Turned Down ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Three Times

Macaulay Culkin has revealed he was nearly in the cast of “The Big Bang Theory,” one of the biggest hits on television.

“They pursued me for ‘The Big Bang Theory,'” Culkin said on the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.

“And I said no. It was kind of like, the way the pitch was, ‘All right, these two astrophysicist nerds and a pretty girl lives with them. Yoinks!’ That was the pitch. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m cool, thanks.’ And then they came back at me again, and I said, ‘No, no, no. Again, flattered, but no.’ Then they came back at me again, and even my manager was, like, twisting my arm.”

The series went on to become a monster success, of course — but the former child star said he does not regret his decision.

“I’d have hundreds of millions of dollars right now if I did that gig,” he said. “At the same time, I’d be bashing my head against the wall.”

“The Big Bang Theory” has aired for over 250 episodes and inspired a hit spinoff called “Young Sheldon.” The main cast has reportedly made $1 million an episode since season eight. The series is now headed into its 12th season.

Culkin, now 37, is best known for appearing in the “Home Alone” franchise before he was even 13 years old. He also starred in films such as “My Girl” and “The Good Son.” He has since focused on music and only made minor appearances in film and television.

The actor revealed he was happy to have stepped away from the business for many years to attend high school.

“I was tired of it, to be honest. I did like 14 movies in six years or something like that,” he said. “I was away from home a lot. I was away from school. I needed something else … It was great to be around people my own age for once … It was the smartest thing I could have possibly done … to take eight years off.”

The actor said he was handed his childhood acting fortune when he turned 18.

“I call it the ‘Slip of Paper Meeting.’ They kind of put a number on a piece of paper and slid it across the table,” Culkin said. “I felt like some kid worked really, really hard and I inherited all of his money.”