For us, The Big Bang Theory is one of the ultimate comfort food shows. We love to sit back and watch this silly sitcom, and the lighthearted lives and line deliveries from our favorite characters make for a fun little escape.
However, it turns out that the actors bringing our favorite characters to life suffered from their own demons. Most of the cast suffered in ways that the average fan hardly imagine, and knowing the details may forever change how you view these actors and the show that made them famous. Don’t believe us? Keep reading to discover the saddest things you never knew about the cast of The Big Bang Theory!
Johnny Galecki lost his home in a fire
The success of The Big Bang Theory allowed Johnny Galecki (who played lead character Leonard Hofstadter) to purchase his own home away from home. At the height of the show’s popularity, Galecki bought a giant California ranch, complete with vineyard, in 2011. He was hoping the new home would help him have a new start, but that new start ended up being very short-lived.
Only six years later, the house completely burned down thanks to one of California’s infamous wildfires. Galecki wasn’t home at the time, and at first, he seemed eager to rebuild. But he ended up selling the home at a loss two years later and was seemingly happy to put the entire thing behind him. Just like that, his new beginning had an unexpected ending.
Jim Parsons’ dad died in a car crash
Jim Parsons’ neurotic character Sheldon soon became the heart and soul of The Big Bang Theory. Week after week, he made millions of fans laugh. His skills as a comedian are that much more impressive when you consider how much he had to overcome over the years.
Early in life, Parsons grew up in a very homophobic area, and this was enough to make him frightened of gay cultural celebrations such as pride parades. He was also afraid to come out to his parents until he was in his twenties and dating Todd Spiewak, the man who would become his husband.
Those two didn’t start dating until 2002, which led to the next big tragedy of Parsons’ life: his dad died in a car crash in 2001 at only 52 years old. That means that not only was Parsons robbed of the chance to spend potentially decades more time with his father, but he was robbed of the chance to tell his father the truth about who he really was.
Kaley Cuoco almost had her leg amputated
Kaley Cuoco is more similar to her onscreen character of Penny than you might think. For example, Penny was often portrayed as a very social woman with many different hobbies. The same is true of Cuoco, though one of her favorite hobbies nearly changed her life for the worse.
The actor is a big fan of riding horses, and she never expected this hobby to nearly be the death of her. But in 2010, she fell off a horse that soon fell directly on her left leg. The star would later admit that she had trouble processing that the horrific crunching sound she heard came from the bones in her leg being crushed. To make matters worse, she even had to sign a waiver before surgery authorizing the doctors to amputate her leg if they had to; fortunately for her and her career, the doctors were able to save her leg.
Mayim Bialik suffered from OCD and an eating disorder
Like Kaley Cuoco, Mayim Bialik is very similar to her Big Bang Theory character of Amy Farrah Fowler in many ways. For example, Bialik actually has a PhD in real life, which may be part of why her onscreen chemistry with the hyperfocused Sheldon is so realistic. This accomplishment is tinged with sadness, though, as Bialik wrote her thesis on OCD so she could better understand how it had affected (and often controlled) her life.
Additionally, she revealed in recent years that she has suffered from anorexia while also being a compulsive eater. Her time in Hollywood made these conditions worse as she often felt the need to achieve the specific body type that casting directors preferred. Thankfully, she feels much less pressure to conform to anyone else these days, and she’s happier than ever because of it.
Melissa Rauch had depression due to a miscarriage
On The Big Bang Theory, we saw Melissa Rauch’s character Bernadette get pregnant and become a mom. The character was pregnant on the show twice, and the second time around, this was to accommodate Rauch’s real-life pregnancy. However, what fans didn’t know at the time was how much she was worrying about the baby inside of her.
The reason for her worry is short, simple, and sad: previously, Rauch suffered a miscarriage, and she later referred to that event as the saddest one of her life. The miscarriage led to depression, and when she was pregnant again, she was constantly worried about the health of the child. Fortunately, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl in December 2017, and she can now concentrate on being an amazing mom even when the cameras aren’t rolling.