LOS ANGELES (CBS) — “Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons has come out of the closet.

The popular, two-time Emmy-winning actor who plays nerdy, straight-laced Sheldon Cooper acknowledged in a New York Times profile that he is gay and in a long-term relationship.

Parsons, who has starred in “Big Bang Theory” since it debuted in 2007,  is currently starring on Broadway in “The Normal Heart,” an acclaimed play about the AIDS epidemic in 1980′s New York City.

Parsons, 39, is signed to star in the film version of “The Normal Heart,” working opposite “White Collar” and “Magic Mike” actor Matt Bomer who, himself, came out several weeks ago.