Kaley Cuoco's actor boyfriend had no idea she played Penny in 'The Big Bang Theory'
Araya Doheny/Getty Images/CBS
- Kaley Cuoco's boyfriend, Tom Pelphrey, didn't know she played Penny in "The Big Bang Theory."
- Pelphrey only found out about the role when his family kept calling her Penny.
- The actor joked that before he was with Cuoco, he lived in "the middle of the woods."
"The Big Bang Theory" was one of the biggest sitcoms of the 2000s, and its cast became huge stars as a result of it, while also taking home big checks for their performances.
Although Kaley Cuoco recently starred in Max's "The Flight Attendant," and voiced the lead character in the "Harley Quinn" animated series, she's still best known for her role as Penny in the CBS series.
But there's one person who was surprisingly clueless about Cuoco's most famous role: her boyfriend, Tom Pelphrey.
The pair have been dating since early 2022, and recently had a daughter together, Matilda.
Pelphrey confessed to not knowing about Cuoco's iconic role in an interview with W Magazine, explaining that he only found out about it when the couple visited his family, and they referred to her as Penny.
"Matter of fact, when I first brought Kaley to New Jersey to meet my family and friends, my mom's partner — who apparently was a 'Big Bang Theory' fan — was there, and he kept calling her Penny. I had no clue what was going on," Pelphrey said.
The "Iron Fist" and "Love and Death" star recalled speaking to Cuoco about it because he was so confused.
Pelphrey said: "So I pulled Kaley aside, like, 'I'm sorry, I don't understand what's happening. Why does he keep calling you Penny?' She's like, 'That's my character in "The Big Bang Theory."' I was completely unaware. I've watched a few episodes with her since, and, obviously, she's fantastic."
Pelphrey went on to say that he hadn't seen Cuoco in "The Big Bang Theory" because he lived a secluded life "in the middle of the woods" before they got together.
He continued: "I hadn't seen Kaley in anything. Look, I live in a cave. Before I met Kaley, I was living in upstate New York, on a dirt road, in the middle of the woods, without much WiFi. She's brought me into modern times."