Big Bang Theory: Filming A Fake Blooper Left Kaley Cuoco With A Busted Eye

As far as sitcoms and television shows in general go, "The Big Bang Theory" is among the least action-packed of the bunch. After all, how much physicality can one expect from a program about young adult nerds in the process of sorting out their personal and professional lives? At the same time, like pretty much any workplace, the "Big Bang Theory" set could be a place of injury. Just ask Penny Hofstadter actor Kaley Cuoco, who once seriously hurt her eye while filming a fake blooper, of all things, with Leonard Hofstadter actor Johnny Galecki.

"They had tried to stage a fake blooper once, Johnny and Kaley, which they were very excited about, where they were going to get into a fight, and he was going to tackle her out of frame or punch her," writer and executive producer Steve Holland recalled at WonderCon 2019 of Cuoco and Galecki's attempt at making the cast and crew laugh. During the staged tussle, though, Cuoco wound up taking a chair or some other item to the face, cutting her open near her eye. To make matters worse, shortly after, they had to prepare to film an episode.

While this injury was likely pretty terrible to deal with, one could certainly argue that another one Cuoco endured away from the "Big Bang Theory" set while still working on the show was far worse.

Away from film and television, Kaley Cuoco has a love for horseback riding — something that led to a horrific leg injury several years ago. While riding her horse, the animal got scared and tossed her off of its back. Initially, there was no issue until the horse tried to jump over her, only to land on her leg. With her leg shattered, she was rushed to a hospital, where her leg was repaired with the insertion of two metal bars. Thankfully, Cuoco avoided the worst-case scenario, which would've seen her leg amputated (via KOdotnet on YouTube).

In the book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series" by Jessica Radloff, a few "Big Bang Theory" notables shared their memories of Cuoco's scary leg injury. "The first day I saw you in that state, I just shed tears in my garage," Johnny Galecki said, with co-creator Chuck Lorre calling it "the darkest, most frightening time in all twelve years" of the entire sitcom. As a result of the injury, Cuoco's Penny was written entirely out of two "Big Bang Theory" episodes and was later given the job of a bartender to hide Cuoco's healing leg.

Evidently, Kaley Cuoco went through some brutal injuries during her "Big Bang Theory" tenure, but she's tough. It's good to know that she recovered just fine.