Kaley Cuoco's Tragic True-Life Story

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Kaley Cuoco is best known for playing Penny in "The Big Bang Theory," the one "normal" person within the sitcom's friend group who knew how to navigate social interactions that didn't involve quantum mechanics. However, Cuoco's comedic prowess extends well beyond that singular role. She got her start on "8 Simple Rules" and has gone on to star in movies like "The Wedding Ringer" and "Role Play." She's also a voice actor — Cuoco plays the titular character of the animated "Harley Quinn" series, which presents one of the most chaotic yet best versions of Harley Quinn put to the screen.

Comedies are where Cuoco has made a name for herself. They're her bread and butter, but things haven't always been giggles and sunshine with the actress. There are numerous unspoken truths about Kaley Cuoco that even her biggest fans might be unaware of. Some of these events don't exactly make for the best interview fodder, so it's understandable some of them might not exactly be public knowledge. Some have said that great comedy comes from great pain, and if you look into Cuoco's history, it's no wonder she's such an incredibly talented comedic performer.

Kaley Cuoco's acting career dates back to the early 1990s. She may be a star these days, but back then, she was just another actor trying to land her big break. She had small roles in TV shows like "My So-Called Life" and "Ellen," and there are undoubtedly plenty of gigs she didn't wind up getting. We know of one that could have given her career a big boost early on: Cuoco unsuccessfully auditioned for the cult classic series "Freaks and Geeks." 

"Freaks and Geeks" only ran for one season but it helped get a lot of people their starts both in front of and behind the camera. The show was created by Paul Feig (director of "Bridesmaids") with Judd Apatow (director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up") as an executive producer. And the main cast became a who's who of people about to blow up big time, such as Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, James Franco, and Busy Philipps.

There's no information on who specifically Cuoco auditioned for, but the safest bet would be one of the main female roles, either Lindsay (Cardellini) or Kim (Philipps). According to sources, Apatow even told Cuoco that she had a future in the industry even if things didn't work out with "Freaks and Geeks." She would find some success via "8 Simple Rules" in the coming years, but it's interesting to consider what other roles would've been open to Cuoco had she landed the "Freaks and Geeks" part.

Kaley Cuoco's big break was "8 Simple Rules," in which she played Bridget, the eldest daughter to Cate (Katey Sagal) and Paul (John Ritter). Paul gets the lion's share of attention in the show, as he's doing most of the child-rearing since Cate has a full-time job as a nurse. This leads to humorous situations where he needs to keep his kids — particularly Bridget, with her obsession with boys — out of trouble. There was a lot to love with the light, breezy sitcom until tragedy struck one day on the set. 

On September 11, 2003, Ritter was on the set of "8 Simple Rules" when he suddenly fell ill. Cuoco would later recall checking in with Ritter after hearing the news, and she remembered the last words he said to her: He told her he loved her before pulling her in for a hug. It would be the last time they saw each other, as Ritter was taken to a hospital where he was mistakenly diagnosed with having a heart attack. It turned out he was having an aortic dissection, and he passed away later that evening. 

In "8 Simple Rules" Season 2, Ritter's character also dies, allowing the show to explore ideas surrounding grief. The sitcom wouldn't last much longer, as it was cancelled after Season 3. Cuoco has continued discussing Ritter's impact on her in the years since his death, so it's clear that while the actor may be gone, his memory lives on in those who knew and loved him.

With "8 Simple Rules" ending in 2005, Kaley Cuoco found herself in need of a new regular gig. She auditioned for "The Big Bang Theory," which would come to define her career, but things didn't work out so well initially. Cuoco didn't originally land the part of the female lead, who was named Katie instead of Penny. In fact, there were a lot of differences between these two iterations of the character, with Katie being rougher around the edges while Penny was more of a girl-next-door type. It was more than just a difference of personalities, as Cuoco would later tell TV Insider the reason she was told she wasn't cast as Katie: "I was too young, which I love saying because I don't get to say that I'm too young anymore."

Amanda Walsh landed the part instead, but after filming the pilot, it was clear something wasn't working. Katie was hated by test audiences, who believed she was too toxic around Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons), who were a lot nicer and far more naïve. Rather than scrapping the entire project, the network gave the show's creators a chance to retool some things, so they turned Katie into Penny, bubbly personality and all, and brought Cuoco back in to star. Given the fact that "The Big Bang Theory" ran for 12 seasons (which we've ranked from worst to best), it was clearly the right move.

One thing casual fans may not know about Kaley Cuoco is that she's an avid horseback rider. It's something she's done for years, but one fateful day in 2010, things went horrifically wrong: She was riding a horse when the animal bucked too strongly and knocked her off. The horse landed on her left leg, breaking it and throwing her entire future into disarray in the process.

In the book "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series" by Jessica Radloff, Cuoco recalled the frightening possibility presented to her upon arriving at the hospital: "Before I went into surgery, they made me sign something that said, 'We don't know until we get in there and see this leg, and it could come out that you don't have it anymore.' That wasn't the case, obviously, but I had to sign something that said, 'OK, you can.'" Fortunately, Cuoco had a powerful ally in the form of "The Big Bang Theory" creator Chuck Lorre. He knew orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Lombardo and managed to get him into the surgery room to help.

In addition to helping in the surgery room, Lorre also provided moral support when Cuoco returned to the set of "The Big Bang Theory." Part of that entailed working around Cuoco's injury. Instead of having Penny also contend with a broken leg, they simply wrote Penny working behind the bar at The Cheesecake Factory so that audiences didn't have to see her leg at all in most of her scenes.

Kaley Cuoco has dated a few fellow actors in her time, including "The Young and the Restless" alum Thad Luckinbill, her "The Hollow" co-star Kevin Zegers, and "Arrangement" actor Josh Henderson. Her biggest Hollywood romance was largely kept under wraps while it was happening: She dated Johnny Galecki from "The Big Bang Theory" for a couple of years, and neither one really spoke about it in a public forum. It took a toll on them since neither one of them wanted the relationship to overshadow the show, so they called it quits but remained close friends.

After that breakup, Cuoco began dating Josh Resnik, who previously played bass for Danzig but worked as an addiction specialist at the time, and the two quickly got engaged. The engagement was announced in October 2011, but the pair wouldn't make it to the altar: They broke it off in March 2012, and much like her relationship with Galecki, Cuoco kept things close to the chest. She never revealed much about what happened, but it wouldn't be the last time Cuoco got engaged. 

In 2015, Kaley Cuoco came forward about her past struggles with becoming addicted to Afrin, an over-the-counter nasal spray. She spoke about it during an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," revealing that it became so bad it impacted her fashion choices. "At award shows I would have to pick out the right clutch to be able to fit my Afrin in it," she said (via ABC News). "And I'd be under the table like snorting it. I'm surprised there were no photos of what I was snorting."

Nasal spray addiction is far more common than most people probably realize, with millions around the globe suffering from it. Patients begin using nasal spray in excess because they feel congested, but over time, it begins to have the opposite effect, where a person's sinuses remain congested even after using the spray. As a result, people use it more than they should because the swelling fails to go away. In Cuoco's case, there were rumors that she had gotten a nose job, but in actuality, she had sinus surgery to correct the problem.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Following her brief engagement to Josh Resnik, Kaley Cuoco struck up a relationship with tennis pro Ryan Sweeting. The pair dated for only three months before tying the knot on December 31, 2013 at a ranch in California. Cuoco actually thanked Sweeting in an Instagram post following her sinus surgery in 2015, even referring to him as a "beautiful angel of a man" who had been "taking amazing care" of her (via ABC News). But, less than a year on from when that post was made, the two would file for divorce.

The news broke in September 2015 after rumors of the two splitting had been circulating for months beforehand. It's not clear what really went down between the two of them, but Cuoco was definitely blindsided by what happened. She told Cosmopolitan (via People), "I married someone the first time who completely changed. The person I ended up with was not the person I originally met. And that wasn't my fault — that was his." She also mentioned that she didn't know if she would want to get married again after that experience, but love has found a way back to her (multiple times, in fact). 

A sitcom running for 12 seasons is no mean feat. That's more than enough time to spend with the same character (and to cash enough royalty checks that you never have to work again if you don't want to). Still, it sounds like most of the cast of "The Big Bang Theory" were taken aback when it was announced that the series would end after Season 12. Specifically, it was ended at that point due to Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon Cooper, wanting to leave and pursue other opportunities, which apparently didn't sit well with Kaley Cuoco.

According to "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," Cuoco couldn't even make eye contact with Parsons during the read-through that followed the announcement. Cuoco would admit later on that she and Johnny Galecki were totally willing to come back for Season 13, but it wasn't in the cards. Theoretically, "The Big Bang Theory" could've continued without Sheldon, but creator Chuck Lorre made it clear that this wasn't an option. According to Cuoco (who discussed the moment she found out the show was ending during an interview with Variety), Lorre said, "We're all for one, one for all. And we're not going to do this without the whole team."

Kaley Cuoco's divorce from Ryan Sweeting was finalized in May 2016, and it didn't take her long to find her next beau, Karl Cook, an equestrian who shared her love of horses. The two got married in 2018, and Cuoco went through various career ups and downs in the years that followed: "The Big Bang Theory" ended, and she pursued other projects, notably "The Flight Attendant" on HBO Max, in which she had the lead role. Sadly, her love life would once more enter a state of disarray, as she and Cook announced their separation in 2021. 

The divorce would get finalized the following year, but Cuoco needed a lot of emotional support following this break-up. She spoke with Variety about the depression she entered and how it wasn't easy to navigate, especially with her character on "The Flight Attendant" also going through a ton of emotional turmoil. She told the Hollywood trade, "I had an intervention on myself in my trailer — all my producers were in there. And I said, 'I need help.' It was interesting to say that out loud. And to have everyone be like, 'Yes, we want to help!'" Fortunately, she had a strong support network to help her through this dark time in her life.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Cassie in "The Flight Attendant" is a pretty drastic departure from Penny in "The Big Bang Theory." She's a flawed, traumatized character who often has to hide her darkness behind a veneer of charm. It makes sense that Kaley Cuoco would want to branch out after playing the same type of character for over a decade, but she admitted to struggling with the series' more intimate moments. 

For starters, the sex scenes were a new challenge for her. She admitted during a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she'd hover over co-star Michiel Huisman between takes. "I'm like, 'I'm not touching anything, I'm not looking at anything,'" she joked. "I didn't know what to do. He was like, 'You're acting so weird, you're making this way weirder than it needs to be.'"

Those fears were likely compounded by her worry that "The Flight Attendant" might anger fans who had followed her for years. She told TVLine, "All that went through my mind for the past three-and-a-half years since I optioned this book is, 'Oh my God, am I making a mistake? Are people going to hate this? Are they going to love it?'" Luckily, such fears were unfounded. She was nominated for acting Emmys for both seasons of "The Flight Attendant," justifying her decision.

Kaley Cuoco's love of animals goes beyond just horses. She's had several dogs over the years, and, as anyone who has ever had to say goodbye to a four-legged friend will attest to, sending them over the rainbow bridge is utterly heartbreaking. First, there's her pit mix Norman, who she had for 14 years. She loved Norman so much that she named her production company (Yes, Norman Productions) and her dog product business (Oh Norman!) after him. When Norman passed away in 2021, Cuoco posted a lengthy tribute to Instagram (via People) for her beloved pet: "Norman, you were my entire world for 14 years. Thank you for smiling at me as you left this world, confirming for me once again our language was ours alone. You will always have my heart."

The actress has had several other dogs, including Dump Truck, Kingy, and Blue, all of whom died within a year of one another. In November 2024, Cuoco revealed that years earlier she made the tough choice to rehome her dog, Shirley, after she began trying to fight her partner Tom Pelphrey's dog, Blue, after the two moved in together. Cuoco shared the news after Shirley had passed away, hoping others could take comfort in knowing dogs can still have good lives even after needing to go into a new home. 

Kaley Cuoco and her partner Tom Pelphrey had a daughter together in March 2023. It was undoubtedly a joyous occasion for all, especially seeing as Cuoco had talked about wanting children years earlier. But there was one drawback, namely carpal tunnel syndrome, a medical condition that cause burning and tingling sensations in the wrists and hands. Her trainer, Ryan Sorensen, shared a video on Instagram in August 2023 of Cuoco talking about developing carpal tunnel due to holding her baby all of the time.

"Some of you may know I have, like, major wrist, hand injuries from holding the baby — it's a very real thing, Google it — and I think the only way to make them better is for us to start working out without using my hands and without using any body weight on my hands," the actress said. It might've been painful, but at least it came from Cuoco achieving her dream of becoming a mother. Cuoco and Pelphrey got engaged in August 2024, so with a happy family and a career that's continuing to present new, intriguing challenges for her, Cuoco has definitely made it in more ways than one.