The Big Bang Theory has featured its fair share of big-name guest stars over its eleven years on the air so far, ranging from Star Wars actors to Stephen Hawking himself. Now, the show is slated to bring in one of the biggest names in technology. None other than Bill Gates will appear in an upcoming episode of The Big Bang Theory.
Bill Gates isn't exactly known for his thespian skills, so Big Bang Theory fans may be relieved to know that Gates will play himself in the episode later this year. The Microsoft founder and philanthropist will appear as himself when Penny hosts him at a pharmaceutical event at her job. Unsurprisingly, Deadline reports that Leonard, Sheldon, and the other guys will bend over backwards to try and meet Gates, which should lead to disaster and hilarity.
The appearance on The Big Bang Theory won't be the first time that Bill Gates plays himself on a sitcom, but it's been quite a while since he first appeared on a comedy. Gates played himself back in 2001 in a guest shot on Frasier in that show's ninth season. Nearly two decades have passed since Gates' appearance on Frasier; we can bet that his experience on The Big Bang Theory will be quite different. There's no news just yet of when we can expect to see Bill Gates' episode of The Big Bang Theory, although it will be later in Season 11.
It should be fun to see how Bill Gates compares to the other guest stars who have played themselves on The Big Bang Theory. Some actors -- such as Bob Newhart -- were brought on to play original roles, whereas others like Katee Sackhoff and George Takei played versions of themselves interacting with the main characters. On the non-actor front, fans have gotten appearances from the likes of Buzz Aldrin and Neil deGrasse Tyson on top of Stephen Hawking and others. The odds are pretty good that Bill Gates will have an easier time playing a fictionalized version of himself than trying to become an actor at this point in life, but we'll have to wait and see just how funny he is on a sitcom.
Fans of The Big Bang Theory will have even more reason to be excited for the rest of Season 11, which is probably quite welcome at this point. The show has been on a break since February 1 while the Olympics dominate the airwaves, and it won't be back until Thursday, March 1 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. For our picks of some of the greatest famous faces ever to appear on the show, be sure to take a look at our rundown!
For more viewing options beyond The Big Bang Theory, be sure to check out our 2018 midseason TV premiere guide. If streaming is more your style, our 2018 Netflix premiere schedule could give you all the dates you need.
