Chuck Lorre, creator of The Big Bang Theory, has addressed Kaley Cuoco’s past remarks suggesting that more intimate scenes were written for her and co-star Johnny Galecki following their real-life breakup.
Cuoco, who played Penny on the popular sitcom, previously speculated that these romantic moments were deliberately increased to create discomfort between her and Galecki, with whom she had a two-year relationship from 2008 to 2010.
Although the pair ended their off-screen romance, they remained friendly and professional throughout the show’s run. Still, Cuoco noted a noticeable uptick in romantic scenes between their characters after the split.
In a 2020 episode of The Armchair Expert podcast, Kaley Cuoco recalled the awkward aftermath of her breakup with co-star Johnny Galecki. “When we broke up, obviously it was a little sensitive for a minute,” she shared. “But I remember those weeks when Chuck [Lorre, the show’s creator] suddenly wrote episodes where our characters were sleeping together all the time.”
Cuoco went on to speculate: “Johnny and I still talk about it — I think he did that on purpose, just to mess with us. If I saw Chuck now, I’d ask him, because it really came out of nowhere. Suddenly, Penny and Leonard were all over each other.”
Chuck Lorre later addressed these suspicions in The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story by Jessica Radloff, which offers an in-depth look at the series. Refuting Cuoco’s theory, Lorre stated, “No. Not at all. Making a good show doesn’t leave room for messing with anybody.”
He added, “There was never a moment of, ‘Let’s screw with Kaley and Johnny.’ Our only objective was to make a great show, to make every minute of every episode count. That was always the goal.”
Lorre emphasized that personal motives had no place in a production of that scale. “You don’t risk a television series — one you’ve poured your heart and soul into — just to toy with someone. That’s not how it works,” he said.
He even responded with humor to the idea that writers might have intentionally manipulated the storyline: “It’s kind of sweet that they thought we had the brain space to do that. Penny and Leonard’s ups and downs were essential — audiences wanted to see if they’d make it work. You rooted for them.”
Johnny Galecki also commented on Lorre’s remarks in the book, reflecting on the assumptions he and Cuoco had made.
“I guess it was pretty egotistical of us to think that,” he laughed. “We were definitely reading into it a bit too much. I’ll sleep a little easier tonight.”
