Emily Osment requested an intimacy coordinator during the filming of Young Sheldon to help manage her feelings about kissing her co-star Montana Jordan. This detail comes from the new book by Jessica Radloff, Young Sheldon: The Inside Story of the Hit Comedy, which tracks the production of the popular series.
Osment, who played the character Mandy McAllister, felt uneasy during the early days of working with Jordan, who portrayed George Cooper. The age difference between the actors was clear at the time, as Jordan was 18 years old while Osment was 30. Osment explained her perspective in the book, noting, “That made me uncomfortable. He was a baby! A baby with a mullet.”
Osment reached out to producer Tim Marx to address her concerns. While they could not secure a coordinator on such short notice, the production team brought one in for future episodes as the relationship between their characters grew.
According to Osment, having that support made the process much smoother for everyone involved
She mentioned that it is a very important resource to have on a set. She also considered Jordan in her request, saying, “I don’t know if Montana even knew if he could ask for that. Like, let’s give him the option, too. Make him comfortable. And he’s such a sweet kid, I think he would just eat his discomfort.” She expressed fondness for her colleagues and satisfaction that the production eventually provided that support for them.
Director Alex Reid admitted that the production team missed the mark early on regarding these scenes. He pointed out that since the show did not feature sex scenes, they did not prioritize an intimacy coordinator for the kissing scenes.
Reid shared a story about a photo taken between takes while the two were filming in a car. He recalled that the actors were looking in different directions during the break. When he showed the photo to Osment, she told him, “Yeah, that was so uncomfortable for both of us, because we didn’t know each other.”
Reid noted that the discomfort was linked to the fact that they were filming intimate scenes with someone they had just met. He added that while it was embarrassing at the start, they clearly moved past it and developed great chemistry.
Co-creator Steve Molaro weighed in on the situation as well. He stated that Osment had every right to ask for that professional support. He also noted that over time, she became comfortable working without one on set.
The story of how these two actors navigated their working relationship is just one part of the new book from Radloff. The book also covers the initial concerns the network had regarding the age gap between the two characters.
Despite those early worries, the couple is now the focus of their own show, Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.
Published: Oct 25, 2026 06:30 pm