Young Sheldon's Valerie Mahaffey Dead At 71

After struggling with cancer, beloved actress Valerie Mahaffey has tragically passed away at the age of 71. On May 30, 2025, Mahaffey's husband, actor Joseph Kell, released a statement that read (via People), "I have lost the love of my life, and America has lost one of its most endearing actresses." Truly, Kell is not wrong — Mahaffey boasted a long and storied career ranging from the influential show "Desperate Housewives," to her recurring role as Victoria MacElroy on "Young Sheldon."

Mahaffey was born in Indonesia in 1953 and lived abroad until the age of 11, when her family relocated to Texas. Her acting career got started on Broadway and other stages in 1976, where she appeared in "Dracula," played Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet," and even starred alongside Morgan Freeman in "Othello." Mahaffey got her start on the small screen in 1979 when she played Ashley Bennett on NBC's daytime soap drama, "The Doctors." This was the first on-screen role in which Mahaffey was nominated for an award, and though she didn't receive a win for the Daytime Emmy nom, it did help launch her career even further.

Valerie Mahaffey's stunning career spanned multiple decades and included racking up quite a bit of recognition. Some of the awards Mahaffey received were for the stage, such as the Obie Award she won for her performance in "Talking Heads." Though she only appeared in five episodes of the CBS 90s television show "Northern Exposure," she still won an Emmy for her portrayal of Eve, a woman struggling with hypochondria.

In 2020 Mahaffey was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her portrayal of Madame Reynard in the film "French Exit," in which she starred alongside Michelle Pfeiffer. Other roles Mahaffey got buzz for included her turn as devious mother-in-law Lorna Harding on Netflix's "Dead to Me," her portrayal of Emma Pillsbury's mom as part of the cast on "Glee," and as the formidable Olivia Rice on "Devious Maids."

While Mahaffey's time on screen also included big films such as "Sully" and "Seabiscuit," she surely touched the lives of those she worked with, making her loss another tragedy for the cast of "Young Sheldon." Mahaffey is survived by her husband Joseph Kell and daughter Alice Richards.