One Day, Sitting With Bob Newhart in His Living Room...

The story of hanging out with one of TV's most beloved comic actors

It’s always a pot of mixed emotions when a celebrity you’ve interviewed in the past dies. In some ways, you spent a little time with them chatting about a project or a particular subject so there’s a familiar rapport that comes with between interview subject and reporter. Some people you talk to repeatedly and there’s an even friendlier vibe that develops even though it’s naive to ever call it a friendship. Maybe more of a kinship? Regardless, it’s a special connection and one that strikes up a lot of memories once they have passed.

Hearing that Bob Newhart passed away on Thursday at the age of 94 hits a little different because I sat down with him once in his very own living room for a chat. Talk about a ‘pinch-me moment.’ Here’s the story….

Jim Parsons as Sheldon and Bob Newhart as Arthur Jeffries, aka Professor Proton on The Big Bang Theory In this 2017 episode. (CBS)

I was working at TV Guide Magazine in Los Angeles back in 2018 and had just helped start a podcast called TV Babble (no apologies but naming a TV-centric podcast is hard, especially when legally you cannot call it the TV Guide Magazine Podcast) where the goal was to talk to TV personalities about their careers, projects they were promoting and also ask fun questions about what they’re watching or, sometimes, just letting the conversation go where it would go. We’d also do staff roundtables where we could talk about attending the various cons and give our own reviews of shows. I enjoyed the podcast but unfortunately it didn’t take off like I’d hoped and once the pandemic a pause was put on the podcast and it was never revived.

But one of the highlights of the short time the podcast existed was when I was set to talk to Bob Newhart on the podcast tied to his last appearance on the final season of The Big Bang Theory where he played Arthur Jeffries, aka television personality Professor Proton. The character, a former children’s science TV host, would appear six times on the series both living and then, after the character died, as a ghost who would appear to Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) on occasion with advice and observations. (He’d also go on to appear in three episode of Big Bang prequel Young Sheldon).

Here’s Newhart’s first Emmy win in 2013 for his guest-starring role on The Big Bang Theory. The standing ovation alone is enough to start the tears flowing….:

Newhart lived with his wife Ginny in the Century City area, close to Beverly Hills, and his publicist Jerry Digney set the whole thing up for me to go to their home and do the interview for the podcast. Needless to say since it’s a unanimous opinion but Newhart was just lovely. He was happy to talk about The Big Bang Theory as well as what he actually watches on TV, his past television hits and his long career. He was an old pro at interviews and knew how to tell a good story. I only wish I’d taken a photo with Newhart on that day but in the quiet space of his home, it felt odd asking for a selfie or for his assistant to take one of us in his living room.

Thankfully, though, our conversation still exists on Itunes so instead of describing it, you can listen to it yourself right here! Enjoy!

If you like this conversation, maybe I’ll start posting more of my chats from our podcast since there are some gems with TV legends like Henry Winkler, George Takei, Harry Shum Jr and This Is Us star Mandy Moore. Let me know in the comments if that’s something you’d be interested in.

Until next time…and Rest In Power, Bob Newhart!