Book: Season 6 Friction Kept Mckenna Grace Off Young Sheldon's Last Season
Jessica Radloff says scheduling conflicts damaged ties between the show and Grace's representatives, leading producers to skip Paige Swanson in Season 7.
A new behind-the-scenes book by author Jessica Radloff reveals why Mckenna Grace's character Paige Swanson was absent from the final season of Young Sheldon, according to ScreenRant. Radloff said scheduling conflicts during Season 6 damaged the relationship between the show's team and Grace's representatives.
Speaking to ScreenRant, Radloff said writers had written two Season 6 episodes centered on Paige, but a competing project conflicted with Grace's commitment to the second episode. Grace eventually withdrew from the other project to honor her Young Sheldon commitment.
In 2023, the Hollywood strikes reduced the final season to 14 episodes, forcing writers to cut planned storylines. Producers then decided not to bring Grace back for the final season; Radloff said the decision involved no personal animosity toward her.
Grace's upcoming projects
Grace stars in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, premiering November 20, 2026, and in Netflix's Scooby-Doo: Origins, expected in 2027.
Her final appearance on Young Sheldon showed Paige and Missy running away together before being pulled over by police.
Quick answers
Why was Paige Swanson not in Young Sheldon's final season?
According to Jessica Radloff, scheduling conflicts in Season 6 damaged the relationship between the show's team and Mckenna Grace's representatives, and producers decided not to bring her back.
What is Mckenna Grace's next movie?
She stars in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, premiering November 20, 2026, and in Netflix's Scooby-Doo: Origins, expected in 2027.