15 Facts You Didn't Know About Kaley Cuoco

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Kaley Cuoco is getting so popular lately it’s ridiculous. The paparazzi have been following her around, and recent gigs like her Priceline commercials have brought attention to her like never before. Plus, the spunky blonde is looking hotter than ever nowadays, which doesn’t hurt her appeal with most dudes.

Meanwhile, many fans, even die-hards of her sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, still know very little about the actress. Well, don’t worry, folks, this article will dive deep into her personal life and give you a solid taste of the true Kaley. We’ll let you know all the history, both good and bad, and let you form your own opinion.

You may be surprised that some of these facts are pretty shady. Like most Hollywood stars, Kaley has a few skeletons in her closet, which she cannot hide forever. Sure, she’s a sweet normal person in many ways. But other times, she’s oblivious, flagrant, or just plain mean.

Ditched Her Husband

Kaley is very active. She grew up playing sports alongside the artsy acting stuff and has the toned body to prove it. She loves playing tennis and was even ranked in the high school circuit. So, she naturally ended up marrying a tennis pro, Ryan Sweeting. The bad news is they were only married for 21 months. And the reason they divorced wasn’t so nice either. Allegedly, Ryan suffered from an addiction to painkillers, after sustaining a back injury. Yet, instead of helping him through it, Kaley just went out and drank with her friends, reportedly consuming more than two bottles of wine per night all by herself. Then, when she decided to ditch her hubby for good, she erased every shot of his face off of social media. She did this before she even left the poor guy. So much for the old wedding vows of “standing beside you through thick and thin, through good and bad, through joy and sorrow.” Once the going got rough, Kaley left him cold.

Dated Superman

Before Kaley got married, she was out playing the field. Back then, she was pretty much unknown, despite acting on one of the most popular sitcoms on television. This under-the-radar factor may be because she dated a bunch of nobody dudes. She usually goes for sporty guys who have no real pop culture appeal. Well, one day, Kaley decided to change all of that. Some people say that she even began targeting famous dudes, not that she really liked them, but she knew that dating them would splash her face on the tabloids. Then, Kaley ended up getting with Henry Cavill, right on time with his debut in the Superman franchise. The relationship didn’t last that long, but Kaley made her mark and has been a target of the paparazzi ever since. Here’s what she said about the tabloid press in jest, but there’s some truth there too, “Dear paparazzi, thank you for managing to capture the best and worst angles of my a*s that’s humanly possible. You make dreams come true.”

Moves On Fast

After Kaley’s divorce, she moved on faster than a speeding bullet. So fast, in fact, that she may have been cheating while she was married. Most people don’t just jump into a relationship immediately after marriage. They need a running start to get back into the game. However, Kaley was spotted dating Arrow actor, Paul Blackthorne, in November of 2015, less than two months after her divorce. And that’s just when she got spotted. When did the relationship truly begin? She even posted comments on social media about the new boyfriend right away. And this was done two days after she had her marriage tattoo removed. Kaley turned the wedding date tattoo into a black moth. According to nature experts, moths have one of the most unpredictable "intimate" lives of any insect. Looks like Kaley chose to replace her tattoo with a worthy subject. Soon, she ditched Paul and is currently dating Karl Cook, a pro horse rider.

Dated Galecki

If you watch the show, you know that Kaley’s character on The Big Bang Theory, Penny, eventually gets married to the male co-lead, Leonard, played by Johnny Galecki. Many fans have heard that the two dated in real life, and that rumor is true. The pair were actually quite serious at one point, but they had decided to keep the two-year-long relationship a secret. Kaley finally opened up about it, years later, and had only the nicest things to say. In general, she said about Johnny, “[He was] one of my best friends and one of the closest people I’ve ever worked with.” She also said that the relationship ultimately failed due to all the secrecy. “We couldn’t do anything. It wasn’t as fun as we wanted it to be,” she said. “Everyone was always asking, and we deny-deny-denied. And I’m like, ‘Why am I denying this person that I love?’”

Disrespected The Flag

There are three things about Kaley’s personality that stand out. First, she’s a hopeless romantic and constantly gushes about her current boyfriend or hubby. Second, she loves sports and is always trying a new exercise to keep her body fit. And third, she is a huge animal lover. She loves her dogs and named her Insta account after her dog (@normancook). Her brand new production company is even called Yes, Norman Productions. But sometimes, she is blinded by the love of her pets and has offended thousands of veterans when she posted a shot of her dogs sitting on an American flag. The Twitter world was in a tailspin after that. The rules state that the flag should never touch the ground. And an unstated rule is that they should never touch a dog’s butt either. War memorials across the country post “no dogs allowed” signs to ward off urine staining. Of course, Kaley apologized for the mistake. Then later, she posted a shot of her and her boyfriend wearing goofy American flag-themed outfits and making strange faces. Twitter didn’t like that much either. What do they like?

Home-schooled

Kaley tends to do some social taboos now and then, like the flag incident or the not-waiting-long-enough-to-date-after-marriage thing. Maybe one reason the social norms aren’t followed well is because Kaley didn’t have that social foundation of a public school. Kaley was home-schooled much of her life by her mother. And this was no ordinary mom. Like many home school teachers, Kaley’s mother not only passed along information in her lessons, but she also included religious and political views, a.k.a. propaganda. Kaley grew up as a conservative Christian and staunch republican. Seems like her religion lessons wore off after that divorce. And since supporting Bush in the extremely close Bush/Gore Election of 2000, she has tried to steer clear of politics.

Been Around For Decades

Many fans love Penny on The Big Bang Theory and assume that this was Kaley’s only gig. Other fans know that she came up on 8 Simple Rules, the John Ritter sitcom, in which he sadly passed away, and was replaced by another character played by David Spade. There are even less fans who know that she appeared on the final season of the sensual witch drama, Charmed. But it doesn’t end there. Kaley grew up in California, and with an open schedule from her homeschooling routine, she was able to do tons of auditions. Way back in 1994, she appeared in the cult classic My So Called Life. She also starred in the long-running TV hit Northern Exposure. She starred in the short-lived Betty White sitcom, Ladies Man. And she appeared in the stardom vehicle for Jessica Biel, 7th Heaven. That’s just a few of her credits, and she starred in commercials when she was even younger.

Loves Her Implants

They were “the best decision I ever made,” she told Cosmo back in 2004. Kaley received a breast augmentation shortly after being cast in 8 Simple Rules. The new look helped her gain more screen time, for sure. The new bust also affected the arch of her character. Originally written as a more of a sweet intelligent girl, Kaley’s character, Bridgette, quickly turned into the stereotypical blonde ditz. But it wasn’t all dumb blonde jokes for the character. She also had to play some dramatic sequences, especially her guilt after Ritter died. Bridgette regretted that her last words to him had been “I hate you,” which was a very relatable conflict. Her attitude against her dad was closely connected to the entire premise of the show and its full title, The 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. As everybody knows, most teens simply hate rules.

Sister In Showbiz Too

Kaley has a little sister in showbiz, and most people don’t know that. Well, that’s probably okay with Kaley. After all, siblings are always competitive, whether they admit it or not. Kaley is glad that she’s on top, after they surely attended auditions together throughout childhood. Today, Kaley and Briana at least pretend to get along. When Brianna was a contestant on The Voice in 2013, Kaley rooted for her and bragged her up on social media. Unfortunately, Brianna didn’t get too far. She started on Team Blake and lost early in the Knockout Rounds. Christina Aguilera picked her up as a steal, but she was dead in the water after that. Everybody knows that Xtina is, by far, the worst coach, and Briana soon lost in the Battle Rounds. Briana has also made a guest appearance on Big Bang as Gretchen. Now, Briana is starring in a nightly Vegas musical called BAZ – Star-Crossed Love. The cabaret show is based on several Baz Luhrman films.

Performs Showtunes

Well, you know, if her little sister is singing and dancing, then big sis Kaley needs to show her how it’s done. And she has to look good doing it too. Kaley took much of her clothes off and did a solo show-tune onstage at an Alzheimer’s benefit. The entire Big Bang cast was there to do a Grease medley, then Kuoco changed into a red hot crop top with tiny black shorts and sang a song from Chorus Line. Which song would she choose? Well, she belted out “T*ts and A*s” with the legendary quote, “T*ts and a*s...have changed my life!” And Kaley didn’t stop singing awkward songs then either. She also starred on Lip Sync Karaoke. The song she chose there? “Move B*tch” by Ludacris. She doesn’t exactly choose the most modest songs, but she sure knows how to get everyone’s attention.

Flip Flop Feminist

Kaley usually tries to steer clear of the political realm, but sometimes interviews can be led into a bad direction. Kaley received some major criticism after a quote was published in Redbook, which wasn’t exactly an endorsement for feminism. Kaley told the classic women’s mag, “I was never that feminist girl demanding equality, but maybe that’s because I’ve never really faced inequality.” She went on to say, “I cook for Ryan five nights a week. It makes me feel like a housewife; I love that. I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I like the idea of women taking care of their men.” Yikes! A little too much elaborating there, Kaley. In her defense, Kaley said the Redbook quotes were taken out of context. She later stated, “Of course, I’m a f*cking feminist. Look at me. I bleed feminism. I get equal pay to my male costars on a big show, I have my own home, I’m as independent as you could possibly be.”

Played A Lesbian

Let’s move on from feminism issues and go to the LGBTQI world. Actually, we’re not sure where Kaley stands on the latter issue, but we’re assuming she’s a major supporter, since one of her greatest allies in Hollywood is the legendary comedian and lesbian activist, Ellen DeGeneres. It seems like Ellen singlehandedly popularized the gay conversation in the nineties, and Kaley was beside her all the way. On the show Ellen, when the star became the first woman to come out on a sitcom, Kaley actually played young Ellen in flashbacks. She also appeared in a later sitcom called The Ellen Show and, of course, Ellen’s biggest hit, the talk show called Ellen, which has had Kaley as a guest on several occasions. Ellen is a lover giving and receiving elaborate gifts, and in one show, Kaley presented her with a ping pong table signed by the entire Big Bang cast. As for Kaley’s own curiosities, she did state that she had a crush on Jennifer Aniston. But, I mean, who doesn’t?

Rides Equestrians

Kaley has a few more secrets up her sleeve. Another one is her love of horses. We mentioned earlier that she loves all things animals, but her dedication to horses has been a life changer. She shows horses under an alias, and through this hobby, she came to know her current boyfriend, Karl Cook. Cook won the FEI North American Junior Young Rider Championships in 2007 and 2008, a top award in the equestrian field. He experienced a lull in wins, but lately reemerged as a top contender, recently winning the SmartPak Grand Prix. And Kaley couldn’t be more smitten. She gushes about Cook on Insta, and he gushes about her right back. It’s all so lovey-dovey that it’s almost gross, but that’s how Cuoco’s romances roll. On a side note, though, this pair may already be distantly related. Cuoco does mean cook in Italian.

Wore A Fat Suit

Everybody in Hollywood has a project that they really don’t want to talk about. There was a momentary loss of good judgment or a desperate attempt to work with an idol. In this case, we’re not sure why it happened, but Kaley decided to suit up for To Be Fat Like Me. This wasn’t even a real film. It was a Lifetime movie that was ridiculously sappy. If you thought Shallow Hal was bad, with Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit and Jack Black in an ugly mask, then you will be amazed at how bad To Be Fat Like Me was. There’s nothing wrong with battling fat-shaming, but even the biggest proponents of the anti-bullying movement must have been embarrassed for Kaley in this movie. But hey, if you’re in Hollywood long enough, you’re bound to be involved in some stinkers. She also did Drew Peterson: Untouchable, about the dirty Illinois cop who killed his wife. Kaley starred as the victim to Rob Lowe’s murderer.

Got Hacked

This one is no secret to all the unethical dudes out there who love this type of privacy invasion. Yes, the images online were real, and Kaley’s phone was hacked. Like most super fit celebs who take pride in their work, there were some full body shots of Kaley and her assets. Some images featured her bare from the waist up, while other pics showed the actress seductively bent over a bathroom vanity. There are plenty of fakes of Kaley out there too. One of the most infamous images shows Kaley grinning ear to ear, wearing nothing below her neck but some Superman body paint. The ta-tas are there for the world to see, but they aren’t actually Kaley’s. Online myth busters have discovered that the breasts belong to a woman who is equally attractive, but not nearly as popular.

Sources: Redbook, Cosmo, Bustle, People, HuffPo, Wikipedia, Insta