“I was so shocked”: When Kaley Cuoco made her feelings known about The Big Bang Theory ending

Kaley Cuoco was as shocked as the audience when she found out that The Big Bang Theory was ending after 12 seasons in 2019. Despite the sitcom topping the viewership charts, the creators decided to conclude it as lead Jim Parsons wanted to leave the show after Season 12.

In a February 2021 interview with Variety, Cuoco, who played Penny, revealed it was Jim who told her that he was not going to continue with the show, and she was taken aback by the decision:

"Jim said, ‘I don’t think I can continue on.’ And I was so shocked that I was literally like, ‘Continue on with what?’ Like, I didn’t even know what he was talking about. I looked at Chuck [co-creator]: ‘Wow. I thought we were — I’m so blown away right now.’"

When Kaley Cuoco revealed she was shocked to find out The Big Bang Theory was ending

Recalling the time she learned that The Big Bang Theory was going to end, Kaley Cuoco said it was the summer of 2018. At the time, series co-creator Chuck Lorre called the cast to his office.

While Cuoco was expecting that he would talk about the show’s renewal for a 13th season, Jim Parsons instead announced that he does not want to continue playing Sheldon Cooper.

The actress added that the whole cast supported Parsons’ decision, and agreed on ending the show as they did not want to continue with Parsons, and hence, Sheldon:

"We’re all for one, one for all. And we’re not going to do this without the whole team. That was the one thing we all agreed on — we came in together, we go out together."

Cuoco further revealed that she and her co-star, Johnny Galecki, who played Leonard Hofstadter, used to interact with the live audience following the shoot. When they had their last interaction on the series finale’s shoot, there was a pin-drop silence on the set:

"And Johnny and I just stood there, and we were crying. I looked down and the whole stage, all the crew, had all filled the stage to come up next to us while we were talking. They were just listening to us like we were the last speech they were ever going to hear."

The actress also highlighted how The Big Bang Theory popularized that being nerdy can be fun too:

"It was a feel-good silly show, and these guys really were the heart of it. They made the nerd thing cool and popular and sexy and fun. It was silly and people loved it. And I really loved my time on it."

Cuoco had a long and successful association with The Big Bang Theory, appearing in all 12 seasons of the show from 2007 to 2019. Following the sitcom’s conclusion, she has been seen in shows like The Flight Attendant, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Based on a True Story. She also had a voice cameo in one of the episodes of The Big Bang Theory’s prequel, Young Sheldon.

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The Big Bang Theory is available to stream on Max.

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