Stephen Hawking may be known as a world-renowned theoretical physicist and arguably humanity's greatest living mind, but on Thursday's episode of The Big Bang Theory, the author of A Brief History of Time revealed himself to also be a mischievous Internet troll.
After posting a well-received physics theory online Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) are troubled to find one critic relentlessly undermining their work and credibility. The troll turns out to be Hawking, who actually appreciates the theory, but wanted to have some fun the shows' protagonists.
"If you were sitting in a chair for 40 years, you'd get bored too," Hawking jokes.
The appearance marks Hawking's second cameo on The Big Bang Theory. In 2012, Hawking briefly appeared to correct a mathematical error in a study Sheldon wrote.
"We love that Professor Hawking is a part of the Big Bang family," executive producer Steve Molaro told Variety.
"He has a terrific sense of humor, and we thought he'd be the last person you'd expect to be playing an Internet bully."