What happened to Paige on Young Sheldon on CBS?
We didn’t think anyone could be smarter than Sheldon. And that was true until the character of Paige Swanson, played by actress Mckenna Grace, was introduced back in the sophomore season of Young Sheldon!
We first meet the young genius in season 2 episode 2, “A Rival Prodigy and Sir Isaac Neutron.” Paige is a fellow student in Dr. John Sturgis’ class who proves to be a bit smarter than our titular character, which of course doesn’t sit well with him.
Throughout the seasons, Paige has made an appearance here and there and she’s become a sort of fixture from time to time on the CBS series. So what happened to the young genius?
What happened to Paige on Young Sheldon?
The 100th episode, “A Solo Peanut, a Social Butterfly and the Truth,” is when things take a dramatic turn for the character. Paige visits her frenemy at East Texas Tech as part of a lecture team from the college she currently attends, University of Austin. Socially, she’s not doing great at school. She believes Sheldon is in the same boat, but it turns out he has made friends with the college kids who like to play role-playing games like him.
She gets frustrated and decides to drop out of college and run away. Sheldon reveals the plan to Missy, who tells her mother Mary. The trio try to stop Paige, but she’s already left. Though after a few days later, she’s eventually found and goes home to talk things out with her mom. In season 3, we see that the young girl has changed in appearance and personality following her parents’ divorce. And since then, she’s had a hard time.
We don’t see the character again until season 6 episode 13, “A Frat Party, a Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters.” Sheldon runs into his frenemy when she’s at a get together in a dorm room at Sheldon’s school. She reveals she has no friends, doesn’t fit in anywhere, and dropped out of college but is too young to work yet, so unfortunately the character is still in bad place.
The two then run into Missy at another college party, and Paige is about to go to another party with a guy older than her while drunk, but Missy stops her friend. Sheldon and his sister end up helping her, taking Paige back to Sheldon’s dorm room to sleep it off.
The actress and character are back not long after that in season 6 episode 13, “A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam.” This time it’s Missy’s idea to run away, feeling neglected and unseen by her family who’s been busy with either Sheldon’s needs, Georgie’s new baby, or the rising tensions between George and Mary.
Missy steals her dad’s truck and figures who better than her friend Paige to get on the road with her? Of course this wouldn’t be Paige’s first time acting out, and she’s more than happy to join the Cooper sister all the way to Florida. But as they make their way there, they’re pulled over by a police officer where Missy confesses everything. The two hang out with her until their parents arrive to get them. Paige’s mom isn’t surprised by her daughter’s actions.
Young Sheldon airs new episodes Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Episodes are also available to stream on Paramount+.