Kaley Cuoco has the honor of saying that she starred on what’s become one of the most iconic TV shows of all time. For 12 years, Cuoco played the role of Penny on the hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which provided her and her co-stars with heightened notoriety. It would seem that with that buzz, though, came some growing pains amongst the ensemble of actors. Cuoco recently reflected on how dynamics shifted as the Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady-created show became both popular and profitable.
While Cuoco has worked steadily since The Big Bang Theory’s series finale dropped in 2019, the actress still fields questions about the show. That makes sense, of course, given the beloved comedy (which is streamable with an HBO Max subscription) essentially made her a household name. Cuoco recently spoke to The Independent about the series and described the vibe on set. While the actress emphasized that “all really did love each other,” their interpersonal relationships weren’t always smooth:
I was constantly trying to keep this group together desperately, and we all really did love each other, but it was 12 years. There were ups and downs. I did a lot of hand-holding, and I think I did the best that I could. But, you know, these kinds of shows... it was an explosion of money and fame and became something so much bigger than any of us could have imagined. So of course there was a little bit of drama.
Kaley Cuoco and co. were indeed in an interesting situation, as they went from simply being working actors to high-paid megastars in just a matter of a few years. The 8 Simple Rules star didn’t go into specific details, but it’s hard not to think that she’s referencing that egos caused some of that “drama.” Being on the outside looking in, we can only speculate as to what specific situations went down. However, something the general public knows for sure is that there was a lot of money in the mix.
Fans took notice in 2014 when it was reported that Cuoco as well as co-stars Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons inked new deals that would see them paid $1 million per episode. Fellow cast members Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayaar also negotiated pricey new agreements. By 2017, the five stars were reportedly asked to pay cuts for the sake of reaching some sort of income equality with co-stars Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik. On the subject of the world knowing about the cast’s salaries, Cuoco has two perspectives:
It was weird. Would anyone want people sharing what they make? Or comparing what they make to [other people]? We’re in the public eye, so that stuff is going to be known. If you’re like, ‘oh, I wish people didn’t know that’, well… then don’t be famous.
Through it all, though, the Big Bang cast still seems to be close and, on occasion, certain members of the ensemble reunite. At the same time, there are still those who’d love to see a formal reunion or reboot at some point. Cuoco expressed a willingness to return, and a recent interview has some convinced she’s reprising Penny for the upcoming spinoff series, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe.
Kaley Cuoco has taken to joining thrillers as of late and has moved beyond her work on The Big Bang Theory as a result. Nevertheless, I appreciate that she still has no problem talking about her time on the sitcom and getting honest about the aspects of the experience that were a bit trickier to navigate.
Check out Cuoco’s latest show, Vanished, which is available to check out on MGM+, and take a look at the 2026 TV schedule for other fresh titles.
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