Kaley Cuoco had quite the journey behind the scenes on The Big Bang Theory. As we’ll reveal, she sustained a terrible leg injury and one that almost ended her time on the series.
On the flip side, she was also involved in some romantic drama with co-star Johnny Galecki, despite the fans not knowing a thing.
Nonetheless, it would all work out for the actress, she’s fully healthy these days, while expecting a child and on great terms with Galecki. Not only that, but she’s also making millions off a backend salary for TBBT, something that will hold true for many years to come.
That was almost taken away from Cuoco years ago back in 2010. We’ll revisit the traumatic experience and how it almost ended the show. Kaley ended up returning to the set, and her role was slightly altered due to the injury. Still, fans never noticed her leg injury thanks to some intelligent work by the writers and production team.
Chuck Lorre Thought The Big Bang Theory Was Over When Kaley Cuoco Broke Her Leg
Kaley Cuoco is a huge advocate for horseback riding. However, it comes with a major risk. Cuoco, unfortunately, learned that the hard way. The dangerous situation took place in 2010, three years after The Big Bang Theory started. Cuoco was taking lessons. When she fell of a horse, things got worse when the horse stepped on her left leg. She was immediately taken to hospital and at that point, there was a lot of uncertainty.
Kaley Cuoco Horse Riding in Los Angeles https://t.co/XZ2ORPzt3P pic.twitter.com/pV5auHVBhD
— celebvegas (@celebvegas) September 8, 2018
Lorre in particular, thought the show was coming to an end. He told People, “That was the darkest, most frightening time in all twelve years [of the show],” Lorre said. “Kaley could have lost her leg. It was a series of miracles that allowed us to get through that and for her to come out the other end of that healthy.”
Thankfully, they wasted no time getting Cuoco into surgery. Lorre would also note that Cuoco got lucky, landing on one of the best surgeons available.
“She was in surgery with the best surgeons available to stop an infection because her leg was wide open. It was an absolutely miraculous intervention that I ran into Dr. Steve,” Lorre said. “Every time I see him, I say, ‘Thank you! You saved Kaley! On a lesser level, you saved The Big Bang Theory!’”
Kaley Cuoco Was Initially Told She Would Never Walk Again
The early diagnosis for Cuoco was a scary one. As if heading into surgery wasn’t scary enough, the actress had to sign a waiver, agreeing to all terms, which included potentially losing her leg.
Cuoco recalls, “Before I went into surgery, they made me sign something that said, ‘We don’t know until we get in there and see this leg, and it could come out that you don’t have it anymore.’ That wasn’t the case, obviously, but I had to sign something that said, ‘OK, you can.”
Cuoco recalled further trauma, being told she might not ever walk again.
“Everything ended up fine, and I was up and working a week later, but the doctors acted like I was never going to walk again. It’s still too much for me to go into, and it sounded way worse than it was. And of course it was spiraling and everyone was freaking out, which I get. It scared people.”
Ultimately, everything was okay. However, The Big Bang Theory did see a delay. But everything turned out to be okay, thanks to a clever tactic.
The Big Bang Theory Put Kaley Cuoco’s Character Behind The Bar, Fans Only Saw Her Waist Up
So how did The Big Bang Theory hide Kaley Cuoco’s leg injury? Well, there were a couple of scenarios. Similar to Friends and Matt LeBlanc’s Joey character, the show had the option of making Penny sustain an injury on the show, explaining the cast.
However, Chuck Lorre and the sitcom decided otherwise, simply making Penny a bartender at The Cheesecake Factory. This would mean, Cuoco was shot from waist up, without seeing the injury. It was a wise move and one that would lead to come great scenes, like hilarious interactions between Penny and Sheldon.
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