Kaley Cuoco Had to Film Intimate Scenes With Her Ex on ‘The Big Bang Theory’

Kaley Cuoco had her share of awkward moments on The Big Bang Theory set, but filming intimate scenes with her ex, Johnny Galecki, definitely tops the list. While Penny and Leonard were heating things up on-screen, Cuoco and Galecki were dealing with their real-life breakup.

Yet, somehow, they made it work…because Hollywood is weird like that.

Cuoco and Galecki started dating back in 2008 after meeting on set. Their relationship lasted for almost two years, but by the time their characters were cozying up on-screen, their off-screen romance had already fizzled out.

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Talk about timing! According to Cuoco, the breakup led to a few, let’s say, uncomfortable moments.

In an interview with Dax Shepard on The Armchair Expert podcast, Cuoco admitted, “When we broke up, obviously it was a little sensitive for a minute.”

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And wouldn’t you know it — right after the split, the show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, decided it was the perfect time for Leonard and Penny to hook up constantly. Cuoco couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

She joked that Chuck Lorre might’ve done it on purpose, saying, “If I was with [Lorre now], I would ask him, because that came out of nowhere. All of a sudden these characters were all up on each other.”

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Sounds like a perfectly normal situation if you’re on a hit TV show.

Despite the post-breakup awkwardness, Cuoco and Galecki remained good friends. Cuoco explained, “Johnny and I came out of it so brilliantly and we’re closer today than we ever were.”

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Leave it to Kaley to handle filming intimate scenes with her ex with grace. Very demure.

Their on-screen chemistry fooled audiences, but Cuoco made it clear their off-screen friendship was even stronger after the split.

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“We dated really early on for almost two years,” she said, adding that her crush started during the pilot when Galecki still had a girlfriend. That definitely didn’t stop them from eventually falling madly for each other.

While Cuoco and Galecki didn’t find their “happily ever after” together, things worked out just fine for them.

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Cuoco is now in a relationship with Ozark star Tom Pelphrey, and they welcomed a daughter in March 2023. They even got engaged in August 2024, so life after Leonard worked out perfectly for Penny.

Facebook, as always, had its take on the situation. One user quipped, “I’m sure they cried all the way to the bank.” Another added, “That’s why you don’t date coworkers lol.”

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But some were more understanding, with one fan noting, “Her and Johnny were together for a bit and when they broke up they stayed great friends, so I’m sure as professional actors they were fine doing the scenes.”

Just another day in Hollywood for Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki!