Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki open up about their off-screen romance likethey never have before in a new oral history about The Big Bang Theory. Theactors, who dated from 2006 to 2008, detail how they fell in love, who madethe first move and why they ultimately broke up in the book The Big BangTheory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.
“I had a very big crush on Johnny early on. I was so not even hiding it. Hehas such swagger. We were both dating people at the time, but I only had eyesfor Johnny. Then, when I found out he had eyes for me too, I was like, Uh‑oh,this is going to be trouble,” Cuoco shares in an excerpt obtained by VanityFair. Galecki says he “had zero idea of any sort of crush before Kaley andI started dating.”
Cuoco and Galecki’s characters, Penny and Leonard, kiss for the first time inepisode 6 of the show’s first season. It was the first time the actors lockedlips, too.
“All the scenes up until we actually got together in real life, it was obviousthere was always something there. There was chemistry and we were crushing oneach other. That was the whole first season until we actually got together forreal,” Cuoco recalls, admitting she was “very nervous” when they kissed forthe Halloween episode.
“I mean, I was kissing him as Penny before we ever dated, and it’s weird whenyou have a crush on someone and you’re kissing them as actors,” she explains.While it took months for the two to eventually kiss off camera, it soon becameapparent — even to Galecki — they had a connection.
While filming “The Nerdvana Annihilation” episode later in Season 1, Cuoco andGalecki had to film a dream sequence that Leonard saves Penny in the elevatorshaft.
“It was not an enjoyable experience for me,” Cuoco says.
“We had to be in each other’s arms — and for quite some time, because it was abit of a stunt that we were doing,” Galecki recalls. “That was certainly oneof the moments that I think—”
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“I think we fell a little in love in that elevator shaft,” Cuoco interjects.
“We felt something, yeah. I think that was a massive turning point [in ourrelationship]. At that point, both she and I knew that something mutual wasfelt, and that it was going to be more of a distraction from the work to tryand continue to ignore it than to actually recognize it and surrender to it,”Galecki confirms.
Cuoco eventually split from her boyfriend, and hours after they broke up, shejoined Galecki and the rest of the cast on a trip to Montecito, Calif. Theyall had separate cabins, but the actress tried to get Galecki over to hers bycalling and asking him to come kill a bug.
“Now, still to this day, I don’t know if this story is bullshit or not, and ifshe was flirting with me because she had just broken up with her boyfriend,but I did not go over to her cabin,” Galecki declare.
“There was definitely a bug in my room and I was flirting with him! So bothwere true! I was like, Ooh, this could be a good way to get him in there!But that didn’t work,” Cuoco laughs. “I couldn’t believe he turned me down. Istill think he turned me down because he knew what I was doing. I used the bugas an excuse, and he still did not come over.”
Galecki ended up making the first move not too long after that trip when heinvited Cuoco to meet for a glass of wine.
“We started kissing in the bar area, and then we were kissing in the parkinglot. Johnny can get really in his head and want to hide, whereas I’m thedirect opposite. I would have told everybody the next day at the table read. Iwould have announced it and said, _We ‘re together! _But he was like, ‘Wecan’t tell anyone!’ So we kept it quiet,” Cuoco recalls. “And don’t forget, itwas different then. Social media was nowhere what it is now, so it was easierto keep it hidden. You didn’t know as much about people as you do now. It’s adifferent world.”
The actors told the cast and crew eventually and no one was that surprised.Galecki and Cuoco’s relationship was serious — “Kaley and I did considermarrying,” he says at one point — but his need for privacy ultimatelycontributed to the pair’s break up.
“We’re from very different worlds, but we also seem to melt into each other’sworlds in certain ways. It was a lot of fun to teach one another differentthings, but then when I came to wanting different things, that made thingsmore complicated,” Galecki explains.
“I think one of the things that created a chasm between us was my strictpolicies of privacy, and Kaley being very, very open about her life. I wasvery uncomfortable with being public about it, and I think that hurt Kaley’sfeelings a little bit, and I can understand that,” he continues. “It certainlywasn’t because I was embarrassed of her or our relationship, but I wanted tobe protective of the audience’s acceptance of Penny and Leonard, and withoutdistraction from the tabloids.”
Galecki continues, “I’m private in general, but it made me especially uneasybecause we were working together, and the show was kind of snowballing at thetime as far as viewership. And at a certain point it felt like we were livingthis lie because we were going to award shows and functions and pretendinglike we’re not a couple, when in fact we were a very loving couple.”
While Galecki says they “had very different interests in what I think wewanted from our experience of life,” that didn’t stop them from becoming closefriends after the split.
“I adore the friends that we are. I think I might value my relationship withher more than any other previous relationship or relationship afterwards,” heshares.
Cuoco didn’t seem to dispute his take on the break up, but added more context.
“Johnny and I also ran out of things to talk about, because we’d be at workall day, and then we’d go back to one of our places together, and say, ‘So howwas your day? Simon was funny today, right?’ And we’d laugh because we had nomystery,” she remembers.
“But we were together for a long time. We really adored each other, and wewere lucky because as our breakup was happening, there was no foul play, therewas nothing bad about our relationship… it just ended,” Cuoco continues .”Yes, there was some hurt there for a bit, but it didn’t take us that long togo back to what we were before we were dating and be friends. He was front rowat both of my weddings, and we’ve been so supportive of each other ever since.We adore each other.”
Galecki still keeps his private life under wraps. The actor split from modelAlaina Meyer in 2020. They share one son. As for Cuoco, she is dating _Ozark_actor Tom Pelphrey. They walked the red carpet together at the 2022 EmmyAwards, so it seems they don’t disagree on being open about theirrelationship.