Kaley Cuoco Just Turned 40, And The Big Bang Theory Fan In Me Can’t Handle The Time Passing

Watching classic TV sitcoms can often make one feel comforted and at home, with the black-and-white foibles on shows like Mr. Ed and I Love Lucy feeling quaint and from ancient times. But then at other points, such feel-good comedies can have the adverse effect, and I have a feeling the next time watchThe Big Bang Theory will be quite the reflective 22 minutes now that co-star Kaley Cuoco is celebrating her 40th birthday.

That's right, our own Penny Hofstadter (neé [indecipherable grumble]) has turned 40 years old, which puts so many things into perspective. First and foremost, that I'm also aging at the same rate as she is, but without all the Big Bang Theory success and memories to show for it. But hey, this is supposed to be a celebration, not a Stuart-sanctioned pity party.

Kaley Cuoco's hubby and fellow doting parent, Task co-star Tom Pelphrey, took to Instagram to share the love for his wifey, who quite possibly looks better at 40 than me or anyone I've ever been related to. Here's how he put it:

Awww, isn't he just the sweetest l'il thang? The couple has truly been as adorable as a celebrity pairing could be in the years since they first got together. And her response to his birthday post exudes that same kind of shared affection. In her words:

Naturally, Pelphrey was far from the only person in Cuoco's orbit that reached out on her big day, which went down over 18 years after The Big Bang Theory made its September 2007 debut on CBS, with the 21-year-old actress bringing Penny to life, despite not being the first choice for the role. Guys, in three years, the sitcom will be officially old enough to drink.

One of her TBBT brethren who shared the birthday love was John Ross Bowie, who honored Cuoco with this amusingly specific pic.

The Based on a True Story co-star also received sweet B-day wishes from Hallmark mainstay Lacey Chabert and Brooklyn Nine-Nine vet Melissa Fumero, among many others.

I don't believe turning 40 will make Cuoco all that eager to jump back into playing Penny again if any kind of Big Bang revival conversations come up. But to that, I'd say, "If not now, when?" And then Cuoco would probably say, "When I don't already have other projects in the works. Now get off of my lawn."

Speaking of, the actress is currently hard at work on the upcoming mystery drama Vanished, which will be hitting the 2026 TV schedule on MGM+ starting in February. Co-starring Sam Claflin and Matthias Schweighõfer, the story kicks off during a romantic rendezvous in Paris when a woman's romantic partner goes missing.

With no current sign of when we might see new footage from her upcoming show, Kaley Cuoco's years of work on The Big Bang Theory can be streamed in full via HBO Max subscription, which also happens to be what fans need to catch her in two seasons of The Flight Attendant and four seasons (so far) of her delightfully twisted vocal work on Harley Quinn.

Most importantly, though: Happy happy birthday, Kaley Cuoco!