Details About Kaley Cuoco & Melissa Rauch's Off-Screen Relationship

Kaley Cuoco and Melissa Rauch had no choice but to become best friends — they portrayed the roles of Penny and Bernadette on the beloved sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" for the better part of a decade, after all. Many actors who work on long-running shows will tell you that the cast becomes like family, and this was no different.

"The Big Bang Theory" cast had their fair share of personal tragedies and were rocked by some big controversies (just like famous families) during the show's run, but if it were up to Cuoco, she would do it all again in a heartbeat. While some of the show's actors, like Jim Parsons, who portrayed the role of Sheldon Cooper, haven't been too keen on the idea of ever starring in a reboot of the show, Cuoco has made it clear she's down to jump back into the role of Penny at a moment's notice. "I would absolutely reprise that role," she told People. "I love that character, and I always will. ... It was some of the best years of my life and some of the most fun I've ever had." Some of that fun was had with Rauch, but more on that later.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight in 2024, Rauch admitted she still kept in touch with all the cast members, including Cuoco. "We've never fallen out of love," she said. "I think we'll always be a part of each other's lives." And indeed, while Rauch and Cuoco seem to be doing a pretty good job of keeping their private lives private, it appears the two are still thick as thieves. 

While Kaley Cuoco and Melissa Rauch aren't exactly spamming their respective Instagram accounts with selfies proclaiming their friendship, fans have noticed subtle hints that the two are still in contact and keeping up with each other's lives. The first was when Cuoco became a mom in 2023 and announced the news in an Instagram post.

Amid all the congratulatory messages that quickly populated the comment section, there was a message from Rauch. "Soooo beautiful!!!" she wrote (via Cosmopolitan). "Absolutely over the moon for you all!" "Big Bang" fans naturally couldn't help but express their excitement about the comment. Cuoco never responded to her former castmate's message, but that might be because she was a little in over her head caring for her newborn.

During an interview on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in 2024, Cuoco got very candid about what it's like to be a mother, saying she was exhausted all the time. "[T]aking care of a 19-month-old is like taking care of your drunk best friend every day. All day. Literally all day." One can only guess whether the best friend Cuoco referred to might have been Rauch.

In 2016, Melissa Rauch was juggling "The Big Bang Theory" with other projects, and one of them was a film titled "The Bronze," in which she portrayed a retired gymnast. "Big Bang" fans were pleasantly surprised when none other than Kaley Cuoco showed up at the film's premiere to support her castmate and friend. However, Cuoco's super laid-back outfit did not fit in with the glamorous dresses spotted on the red carpet that night. She appeared to be heading to the cinema rather than attending a glitzy movie premiere. This was definitely one of Kaley Cuoco's fashion mishaps we couldn't ignore, but really, her support for Rauch was what truly mattered.

Cuoco's support of Rauch's work didn't stop when "The Big Bang Theory" ended its 12-season run. In fact, when Rauch starred in NBC's reboot of "Night Court," the beloved '80s comedy, Cuoco once again rallied behind her. Rauch excitedly took to Instagram to share the news about the show, and Cuoco took to the comments to publicly congratulate her friend. "Loving this sooooooo much!" Cuoco wrote (via Metro).

Kaley Cuoco's role in "The Flight Attendant" was hugely supported by her former "Big Bang Theory" castmate, Melissa Rauch. Cuoco landed the lead role of Cassie in the series, which aired in 2020. As positive reviews from both fans and critics streamed in, Rauch took to Instagram to let the world know "The Flight Attendant" is not a show people want to miss.

"Cannot say enough about how fantastic @flightattendantonmax is and how incredible @kaleycuoco is in it!" Rauch wrote. The actor went on to hype the show, making it clear that people were seriously missing out if they hadn't watched it yet. "Like, stop reading this and do it! Ok...ummm, why are you still reading this!?! Did you not hear me the first time? Get those eyeballs up on #theflightattendant," Rauch added.

"Big Bang" fans couldn't help but point out that Rauch's post sounded very much like something her character Bernadette would say. "Why did I read this in Bernadette's ANGRY voice?!?" one fan quipped. "Impossible not to read it in Bernadette's voice!! You're fantastic. And of course everyone is giving support to Kaley," another added.

Rauch's impressive Instagram following flocking to watch the show may or may not have had something to do with the fact that it got renewed for a second season. Cuoco, however, later told CinemaBlend that she was going through a very tough time while filming Season 2. "I had so much stuff going on in my personal life. ... [I]t felt like it was just 24/7 depression, in a way," she admitted.

When "The Big Bang Theory" came to an end, fans across the globe had their hearts shattered — and so did Kaley Cuoco and Melissa Rauch. CBS wasn't planning on canceling the series. In fact, the network was ready to sign on for two or more seasons. But Jim Parsons was ready to move on, and almost everyone would agree that the show sans Sheldon Cooper would have been, well, not the same show at all.

According to Jessica Radloff's behind-the-scenes tome about the show, "The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series," Cuoco wasn't exactly happy with Parsons bringing the show to a halt; she didn't want it to end, later telling Variety, "[I was] in a state of shock ... everyone had their open feelings, and there were questions and tears." Rauch seemed to feel the same way. When the cast wrapped the final episode, she took to Instagram to share a picture of them sharing an emotional group hug, simply captioning it, "Always." Cuoco told Variety that she "really loved [her] time on [the show]."

Rauch echoed Cuoco's statements in an interview with Parade, telling the outlet, "[B]eing a part of this group has been so wonderful and really a dream come true." She added that they had all become like family. "This group shares a bond that is for forever. It's such a wonderful group of people and I love them all from the bottom of my heart," Rauch shared. "I know that I'll keep in touch with everyone." It appears that Rauch has stuck to that promise, especially when it comes to her friendship with Cuoco.

In a very refreshing turn of events, some members of "The Big Bang Theory" cast, including Kaley Cuoco, took a pay cut in 2017 so their fellow castmates Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch's salaries could be bumped up.

The pay gap between those who had starred in the show since its pilot and the actors who joined later on was shocking. While Cuoco and the rest of the original gang were earning $1 million per episode, Rauch and Bialik were only raking in $200,000. In order to free up some money for their two castmates' salaries, Cuoco and the rest of the original cast each agreed to a $100,000 salary cut. The gesture was testimony to how close the cast had grown over the years and their willingness to keep working together and create more episodes of the beloved show.

Most fans would have loved to be a fly on the wall during some of the behind-the-scenes shenanigans that took place while filming "The Big Bang Theory." Luckily, Kaley Cuoco was kind enough to share one such moment with the public, and of course it included her friend, Melissa Rauch.

Something many people might now know about Melissa Rauch is that, contrary to her feisty character, Bernadette, she's not very spunky in real life, and this led to some laughs on set. Avid fans will recall "The Scavenger Vortex," the Season 7 scavenger hunt episode that ends with the gang racing to search Sheldon's spot on the couch. Bernadette was determined to emerge the victor, and viewers will remember her shoving Penny away to get ahead. But behind the scenes, Rauch was having trouble doing the actual shoving. "Melissa is supposed to push me out of the way, and I was like, 'Push me! Push me!'" Cuoco recalled during an interview with USA Today. "And she just shoved me in one of the takes and I ran into the pole in the living room set. And we're both trying not to laugh. [But] we're facing away from the camera and I'm literally crying, I'm laughing so hard. And she's crying, too. We were laughing so hard."

Cuoco also described Rauch's inability to resort to actual violence on set, recalling how Rauch couldn't bring herself to punch Johnny Galecki during the same episode. "It looked so lame and fragile. And I kept saying, 'Hit me!'" Galecki recalled. "She couldn't do it," Cuoco interjected. "It was very cute."