Jim Parsons says one ‘brutal’ coronavirus symptom ‘defied the descriptions’

Jim Parsons has opened up about his "brutal" battle with Covid-19.

During a virtual appearance on The Tonight Show on Monday, the actor revealed that he and his husband, Todd Spiewak, contracted the coronavirus earlier this year and have since recovered.

"Todd and I both had it early on. It was, like, middle of March," Parsons, 47, told host Jimmy Fallon. "We didn't know what it was. We thought we had colds, and then it seemed less likely, and then, finally, we lost our sense of smell and taste."

The Big Bang Theory alum said the latter symptoms were much more intense than he anticipated, explaining, "It defied the descriptions for me. I didn't realize how completely taste and smell could be gone. And when you're in quarantine, and there is really nothing to do but eat — that was brutal."

Parsons added that he still ate "everything" ― "I just didn't taste it. The definition of wasted calories," he quipped.

The actor shared that, while recovering in quarantine, he picked up some new creative hobbies like a painting class and a creative writing class. He even bleached his hair blonde in an attempt to stay busy. However, all of those activities eventually "petered out" over time. Fortunately, both Parsons and Spiewak have since recovered and are back in good health.

The conversation then veered toward Parsons' beloved Big Bang Theory character, Sheldon Cooper. When Fallon asked the actor how his germaphobic TV counterpart would have reacted to the Covid-19 pandemic, Parsons theorized that Sheldon would have been better equipped to handle the crisis than most people.

"He was built for this. This is the moment he was waiting for," Parsons said. "I was saying earlier, we had an entire episode – which I didn't think about until recently – where he did a 'Shel-bot' where he had a video screen on a remote-control wheelie thing. And that was when people still needed to get together in groups, and so he would just send that out and sat in his room. 'Don't touch me, don't sneeze on me.' And so, I guess, he'd be fine."

Parsons is just one of many celebrities who have opened up about battling the coronavirus since the pandemic began. Other stars who have tested positive for the virus include Neil Patrick Harris, Robert Pattinson, Kevin Hart, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Brayn Cranston, Alyssa Milano, Idris Elba, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.