In a brand-new oral history about The Big Bang Theory, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki disclose details about their off-screen relationship that they have never previously disclosed. In the upcoming book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, the actors—who dated from 2006 to 2008—discuss how they met, who initiated contact, and why they ultimately broke up.
“Early on, I had a major crush on Johnny. I wasn’t even trying to hide it. He has such confidence. At the time, both of us were dating, but I had my heart set on Johnny. Then, when I discovered he had feelings for me as well, I thought, “Oh no, this is going to be disaster,” “Cuoco divulges in an excerpt that Vanity Fair got. Prior to meeting Kaley, Galecki claims he “had no sense of any form of crush.”
In the sixth episode of the first season of the sitcom, Penny and Leonard, played by Cuoco and Galecki, had their first kiss. It was also the first time the actors had made eye contact.
“It was clear there was something there in every scenario up until we finally met in real life. We had chemistry and were smitten with one another. Until we finally got together for real, it was the entirety of the first season, remembers Cuoco, who admits she was “extremely anxious.” “the time they had a kiss in the Halloween episode.
Before we started dating, she confesses, “I was kissing him as Penny, and it’s funny when you have a crush on someone and you’re kissing them as actors.” Even Galecki could see that the two had a connection even though it took months for them to really kiss off camera.
Later in Season 1, Cuoco and Galecki had to record a dream scenario in which Leonard saves Penny in the elevator shaft for the episode “The Nerdvana Annihilation.”
For me, it was not a fun experience, admits Cuoco.
Because we were pulling a bit of a stunt, Galecki says, “We had to be in each other’s arms for quite a while.” That was undoubtedly one of the times when I thought—
Cuoco adds, “I guess we kind of fell in love in that elevator shaft.
“Yes, we felt something. That, in my opinion, marked a significant turning point in our relationship. At that time, she and I both felt something, and we both recognised that trying to deny it would only serve to distract us from our job rather than allowing us to acknowledge it and give in to it “Galecki agrees.
Cuoco eventually broke up with her boyfriend, and a few hours later, she travelled to Montecito, California, with Galecki and the rest of the ensemble. The actress called Galecki and asked him to come kill an insect in her cabin even though they all had separate cabins.
As for whether she was flirting with me since she had just split up with her boyfriend, Galecki says, “I don’t know if this tale is bullshit or not, but I did not go over to her cabin.”
“In my chamber, there was unquestionably an insect, and I was fawning over him. Both were therefore true! Ooh, this may be a nice way to get him in there, I thought. However, it didn’t work “Cuoco chuckles. “I was shocked that he rejected my offer. I still believe he rejected me because he was aware of what I was doing. Despite my excuse about the glitch, he still did not come over.”
Not long after that excursion, Galecki made the first move by inviting Cuoco to meet for a glass of wine.
“After beginning to kiss in the bar area, we moved on to the parking lot. Johnny might sometimes become quite depressed and desire to run away, whereas I’m the exact opposite. The table read the following day is where I would have told everyone. I would have made the announcement, “We’re together!” However, he said, “We can’t tell anyone!” We thus kept it quiet “Cuoco mentions. “Remember that things were different back then. It was simpler to keep social media concealed since it was nothing like it is now. When compared to now, you didn’t know as much about people. The world is different now.”
When the actors eventually notified the cast and crew, no one was really startled. Although the relationship between Galecki and Cuoco was intense—”Kaley and I did consider marriage,” he admits—his desire for seclusion ultimately led to the breakup of the couple.
“We come from quite different worlds, but in some respects we also appear to blend into one other’s worlds. Learning new things from one another was a lot of fun, but when I started seeking new things, that complicated things “Galecki clarifies.
“I believe that one of the factors that caused a gulf between us was my tight privacy policies and Kaley’s extreme openness about her life. Being out in the open about it made me feel extremely uncomfortable, and I believe that damaged Kaley’s feelings a little bit “He goes on. It was undoubtedly not because I was ashamed of her or our connection; rather, I wanted to secure the audience’s acceptance of Penny and Leonard without the tabloids getting in the way.
Galecki goes on, “I’m a private person in general, but because we were working together and the programme was growing in popularity at the time, it made me feel extra anxious. We went to award presentations and other events pretending we weren’t a couple, but in reality, we were a really loving pair, and at one point it felt like we were living this lie.”
They “had very different interests in what I suppose we desired from our experience of life,” according to Galecki, but it didn’t stop them from growing close after the breakup.
“I cherish the friends we have. I believe I may treasure our relationship more than any other prior or subsequent relationships “He imparts.
Without challenging his interpretation of the breakup, Cuoco provided more context.
“Johnny and I also ran out of topics to discuss because we would spend the entire day at work before returning to one of our shared locations and asking, “So how was your day? Simon was amusing today, yes? We would chuckle since there was no surprise “She can recall.
“But we spent a lot of time together. We really loved one other, and we were fortunate that when our relationship ended there was no wrongdoing and nothing negative about it “Cuoco goes on. “Yes, there was some initial hurt there, but it didn’t take us long to return to our friendship and the way things were before we started dating. He was in the front row at both of my weddings, and ever since, we have been very encouraging to one another. The two of us are in love.”
Galecki continues to conceal his personal affairs. In 2020, the actor and the model Alaina Meyer divorced. They both have a son. Cuoco is dating Tom Pelphrey, an actor from the Ozarks. They appeared to have no issues discussing their relationship openly because they shared the red carpet at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
