Going through a breakup is never fun, and it's even less fun when you inevitably run into your ex after the breakup. But what about having to work with them? After Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki split up in 2009, the pair had to continue filming The Big Bang Theory together—and got a little too close for comfort. Cuoco says after the breakup, it felt like Big Bang creator Chuck Lorre had given Cuoco multiple loves scenes with her ex "on purpose." Read on for more of Cuoco's thoughts on filming love scenes with her ex, and for more behind-the-scenes intel, ABC Sitcom Star Quits, Calling Show a "Toxic Environment."
"When we broke up, obviously it was a little sensitive for a minute, but I remember those weeks that Chuck had written these episodes where all of a sudden our characters were like sleeping together every other second," Cuoco revealed during a Nov. 9 interview on Dax Shepard'sArmchair Expert podcast.
Cuoco, who starred as Penny, and Galecki, who played Leonard, began dating in 2007, when they had both just started filming the sitcom.
"We dated really early on for almost two years. When we did the pilot, I was crushing so hard on Galecki but he had a girlfriend," Cuoco said, revealing that they got together a little while later.
And while the exes' characters did end up dating and getting married on the show, Cuoco says that the two characters suddenly had so many sex scenes after the breakup that she suspects that Lorre did it "on purpose."
"Johnny and I talk about it, and I think [Chuck] did that on purpose—just to [mess] with us,” Cuoco said. "If I was with him, I would ask him because that came out of nowhere. All of a sudden these characters were all up on each other."
Luckily, Cuoco seems to be a good sport about it. She also revealed that she and Galecki are still friends, even though the two are now with other people. Cuoco married Karl Cook in 2018, and Galecki has been dating long-term girlfriend Alaina Meyer since 2018, welcoming their first child in 2019.
"We got together and just fell mad for each other for two years, but then we broke up," Cuoco explained. "Luckily Johnny and I came out of it so brilliantly and we’re closer today than we ever were."
Of course, Cuoco and Galecki weren't the only pair of celebrity exes who were contractually obligated to keep close after their breakup. For other celeb exes who kept working together, read on, and for more drama between stars who are no longer together, Brian Austin Green Finally Responds to Megan Fox Feud in New Video.
1 | Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev
Francis Specker/Alamy Stock PhotoThese two celebs met while playing love interests on The Vampire Diaries, but their relationship went south in 2013. However, Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev continued as an onscreen couple through 2017, even winning "Best Chemistry" at the 2014 People's Choice Awards. And for celebrity relationships you may not remember, take a look at these Celebrity Couples From the 2000s You Totally Forgot About.
2 | Penn Badgley and Blake Lively
CBSPenn Badgley and Blake Lively played on-and-off again love interests Dan and Serena on Gossip Girl. And this romance trickled off-screen, with the pair starting their real-life relationship in 2007. They remained together until 2010, but their characters kept their romance going until the show's end in 2012. And for more Hollywood romances, find out which Beloved Movie Couples Actually Clashed Behind the Scenes.
3 | Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter
ShutterstockThese two exes were brought together by the show Dexter, and they even got married in real life while filming the show in 2008. However, Michael C. Hall and Jennifer Carpenter also divorced while filming in 2010.
"The fact that Jennifer and I worked through whatever was going on with us personally in the way we did and maintained our commitment to telling this story was never in question. It was always what we needed and wanted to do," Hall said at the PaleyFest Dexter Fall Farewell event in 2013. And for more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
4 | Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody
ShutterstockRachel Bilson and Adam Brody also started dating in 2003 while playing onscreen love interests. The O.C. stars split up in 2006, however, right before their characters Seth and Summer got married to each other on the show. And for more on celeb couples from the past, these Celebrity Exes Are Best Friends Now.