“Young Sheldon,” a highly regarded TV prequel, delves into the childhood of “The Big Bang Theory” character Sheldon Cooper, originally portrayed by Jim Parsons, and played by Ian Armitage in the prequel. Most characters in “Young Sheldon” are new additions to the “TBBT” universe, with the key exception being Sheldon’s family. Sheldon’s descriptions of his religious upbringing on “TBBT” significantly influence “Young Sheldon,” bringing in figures like Pastor Jeff Dillard.

Pastor Jeff appears throughout all seven seasons of “Young Sheldon” as a main or recurring character. As the pastor of Sheldon’s family church, Pastor Jeff balances encouraging Sheldon to accept religion and God with supporting him on whatever path he chooses, religious or not. Despite his role as a guiding figure, he’s not particularly popular and often has a more strained relationship with the Cooper family. Furthermore, his personal shortcomings negatively affect his interactions and presence in the series.

Comedian and actor Matt Hobby portrays Pastor Jeff on “Young Sheldon.” While this role is his most significant to date, Hobby has also been featured in several well-known TV shows and a few films, showcasing his versatility and talent in the entertainment industry.

After a few small film and TV roles, Matt Hobby scored his first major mainstream project when he was cast as Philip, the Thomas family’s house servant, in the HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire.” Though he only appeared in five episodes, it still proved to be a pivotal stepping stone in Hobby’s acting career. He had a slightly more substantial recurring role on “Hart of Dixie” a couple years later, playing Rudy Truitt for 10 episodes across Seasons 2-4. That was followed by five episodes of the single-season Fox legal drama “The Grinder.” 

During and since his Pastor Jeff stint, Hobby also appeared in an episode each of the shows “Fresh Off The Boat” and “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell.” He then reprised the role of Pastor Jeff in guest spots on two episodes of the “Young Sheldon” spin-off “Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage.” Beyond acting, Hobby is also a stand-up comedian and hosts a podcast called “Smackers” (formerly “Pay or Request”).

One thing that hasn’t been mentioned very often is that Pastor Jeff is married. Well, he’s on his second marriage, after first being hitched to a woman named Selena (Zuleyka Silver). But Selena was out in Season 1 of “Young Sheldon,” and Pastor Jeff met a police officer named Robin (Mary Grill) in Season 2 during a traffic stop — with the two eventually getting married. Art imitated life in this case, because Matt Hobby and Mary Grill were already married for eight years in real life when Mary joined the cast of “Young Sheldon.”

Grill is a stand-up comedian herself, and she and Hobby sometimes perform together as a joint act. They also used to host a web series together, but it seems to have ended and doesn’t appear to currently be hosted online anywhere. Grill also has an acting career herself, apart from playing Robin Tifford and other projects she shared with her husband, having appeared on the shows “Veep,” “Mad Men,” and “The Mindy Project,” to name a few.