Top 10 Funniest Sheldon Cooper Meltdowns

Sheldon’s first love may always be physics, but like all relationships, it has its ups and downs. After a heart-to-heart with Penny, he decides it’s time to break up with String Theory. Now, if you’ve ever gone through a breakup, you’ll recognize all the stages. Maybe you, too, rebounded with your version of “The Kardashians of Science.” Or perhaps, like Sheldon, you’ve sought comfort at the bottom of a wine glass, only to wake up the next day with blurry memories and basically no memories of those regrettable phone calls. We’ve all been there—piecing together those fuzzy details, realizing, “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

If there’s one thing Sheldon Cooper can’t handle, it’s keeping secrets—especially from his favorite little buddy. So, when Penny confides in him her doubts about her and Leonard’s compatibility and swears him to secrecy, Sheldon, of course, cracks under pressure. His solution? Move out. Sheldon bounces between friends’ places until Howard, fed up with his ramblings, gives him some “funny-tasting milk” and takes him home. Cue the hilarity. Still confused by Sheldon’s extra-weird behavior, Leonard tries to get to the bottom of it, and Sheldon ends up spilling quite a few secrets in addition to the one he promised not to tell Leonard. It’s okay, though. Leonard promises he won’t tell… Leonard.

Isn’t it the worst when you’re halfway through a long trip and realize you’ve forgotten something crucial? Maybe you can let it go—or maybe you’re more like Sheldon. He drives everyone up the wall when he realizes he forgot his flash drive back home. In desperation, he calls Penny for help, but she can’t resist having some fun with him first. Does she push his buttons a little too hard? Maybe. But there's no denying that watching him squirm as she toys with him is pure comedy gold. It’s a bit cruel, sure, but Penny has an even easier time cracking Sheldon’s brain than breaking his novelty puzzle box.

Before “Young Sheldon,” we got occasional insights into Sheldon’s childhood through anecdotes on “The Big Bang Theory.” In this episode, Sheldon is dismayed to discover his students find him insufferable, so he turns to Penny for acting lessons to make himself more likable. Turns out, improvisation isn’t Sheldon’s strong suit. He’s not a fan of “American classics” either. But no worries, he’s got a screenplay based on fan-fiction he wrote at 10 years that he thinks rivals Tennessee Williams. Penny pushes him out of his comfort zone, and Sheldon commits so hard to the material that he blurs the line between reality and fiction. Hey, it turns out he can improvise after all!

Here’s another example where Sheldon engages in some, let’s call it post-breakup behaviors. When he and Amy reach an impasse in their relationship, they decide to part ways. Instead, Sheldon fills the void with a cat, well, actually, a whole clowder of them. They’re perhaps some of the cutest guest stars to ever appear on the series, but yes, this is probably one of his more unhinged moments. When Leonard is unable to talk Sheldon around, he calls in reinforcements—Sheldon’s mother. Just when Mary thinks she’s seen it all, she walks in on Sheldon’s feline Manhattan Project. Leave it to some classic parental reverse psychology to snap him out of it.

We all have our ways of dealing with fears, and for Sheldon, it’s avoidance. But when he’s up for an award that requires public speaking—his worst nightmare—he’s forced to face it. His friends rally around him with support, offering therapy, a sharp new suit, and even meditation, but nothing works. As a last resort, Penny suggests a little liquid courage, and it does the trick. Turns out, a tipsy Sheldon is also a budding stand-up comedian. With his nerves calmed, he delivers an unforgettable speech—though Sheldon himself doesn’t remember a thing. Luckily, Penny and Leonard are there to help him piece together the events of the night before.

Sheldon’s not exactly the kind to make a good first impression. However, when he meets his new boss, he makes such a bad one that it costs him his job. At a loss without work, Sheldon turns to some quirkier experiments to fill his day, which include everything from perfecting scrambled eggs to creating luminous fish night lights. Funnily enough, the “lum” in luminous gives him a lightbulb moment, and by the time Leonard calls his mom (because no one snaps Sheldon out of a crisis quite like Mary), Sheldon’s bought himself a loom. Anyway, when even a home-cooked meal doesn’t ground Sheldon, Mary turns to Plan B, and it works!

It doesn’t take much to send Sheldon into a meltdown; sometimes, it’s as innocent as a Christmas present. When Penny has the audacity to give him a gift (how dare she!), Sheldon obsesses over what to get her in return. When gift exchange time arrives, his reaction to Penny’s present—a signed Leonard Nimoy napkin—is so overwhelming he can barely handle it. Only Sheldon could take something as small and priceless as a napkin and see the potential for human cloning. After his freak-out, he briefly disappears, returning with what looks like the entire store’s supply of bath sets. And when that still doesn’t cut it, he pulls out the most un-Sheldon move ever….

Let’s say your favorite barber is suddenly unavailable—what do you do? Do you shrug and turn to a different employee, or do you spiral into an existential crisis? Sheldon does the latter, even taking it to the extreme and tracking down his usual barber in the hospital. He’s also hilariously disappointed that his lack of haircut doesn’t bring about the end of the world. So how does he cope? Yep, he keeps everyone awake with his newfound hobby. If you thought Sheldon was annoying before, wait until you hear him with bongos. He may have woken up the entire building, but at least learns a valuable lesson in bongo safety.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Howard’s Card Trick, “The Prestidigitation Approximation”
Mean? Maybe. Hillarious? You Betcha!

Sheldon Doesn’t Know the Answer, “The Bat Jar Conjecture”
We’re Surprised We Can’t Also See Smoke Coming Out of His Ears!

Presenting Stephen Hawking with a “Boo Boo,” “The Hawking Excitation”
Don’t Meet Your Heroes or Present Them with Papers, or If You Do Triple Check Your Working First!

The Elevator Freakout, “The Change Constant”
That Ping Marks One Too Many Changes for Sheldon’s Liking

The Perfect Wedding Date, “The Relaxation Integration”
Who Can’t Relate to Dreaming Up Their Own “Council of Sheldons” When Under Stress?

Over the series, Sheldon has come up with some pretty eccentric ways to tackle the universe’s mysteries. In one of the funniest moments, he completely loses touch with reality while wrestling with a physics problem he dubs the search for “the toad of truth.” He gets so immersed in it that everything around him from marbles to his friends’ lunches—turns into visual aids (except corn, because that would just be ridiculous). After abandoning all basic human needs in his quest for answers, he escapes the apartment and breaks into a kids’ ball pit. Honestly, we don’t think we’ll ever stop laughing at Leonard chasing him around it. Even Jim Parsons clearly finds it hilarious. Bazinga!

Which Sheldon meltdown made you say, “Bazinga!” Let us know in the comments!