Kaley Cuoco's partner Tom Pelphrey was 'completely unaware' of Big Bang Theory before dating
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Ozark breakout Tom Pelphrey revealed that prior to meeting girlfriend Kaley Cuoco he had "never" seen an episode of The Big Bang Theory, the show in which she starred for 12 seasons.
"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," Pelphrey told W Magazine. "I had no clue what was going on."
He explained that he eventually pulled his girlfriend aside to say, "'I'm sorry, I don't understand what's happening. Why does he keep calling you Penny?'" In response, "She's like, 'That's my character in The Big Bang Theory.'"
Pelphrey says that he was "completely unaware" and at that point "hadn't seen Kaley in anything."
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey
The couple have been together since 2022 and welcomed their daughter Matilda in March of this year. So naturally, Pelphrey has had ample time to catch up on the hit sitcom.
"I've watched a few episodes with her since, and, obviously, she's fantastic," he said.
Cuoco, who most recently received critical acclaim for her role in The Flight Attendant and as the voice of the titular antihero in the Harley Quinn animated series, spent 279 episodes as a lead character on The Big Bang Theory. Over the course of its run, the sitcom about the misadventures of two physicists and their inner circle of friends was one of TV's most-watched shows, with the cast earning numerous accolades, including a Satellite Award, a Critic's Choice Award, and two People's Choice Awards for Cuoco.
Pelphrey insisted that his obliviousness had nothing to do with that show in particular, but with his general lifestyle.
"I live in a cave," he joked. "Before I met Kaley, I was living in upstate New York, on a dirt road, in the middle of the woods, without much Wi-Fi. She's brought me into modern times."
Along with their newborn, the couple have six rescue dogs together.
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