The Big Bang Theory Scene That Led To Kaley Cuoco And Johnny Galecki’s Off-Screen Romance

In a joint interview with Vanity Fair, Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki revealed the episode where they developed strong feelings for one another in real life. Season 1, Episode 14, “The Nerdvana Annihilation,” continued the running thread of Leonard’s crush on Penny, which included a heartfelt scene where he dreams of saving her in an elevator shaft. Speaking about the moment, Cuoco commented, “It was not an enjoyable experience for me.” At this point, Galecki followed that up by saying, “First of all, print that. [Laughs] We had to be in each other’s arms — and for quite some time because it was a bit of a stunt that we were doing. It was a whole thing, and it was a pretape since it took a little while. Kaley didn’t look freaked out at all. In fact, she looked extremely happy in those arms. That was certainly one of the moments that I think —” and then Kaley Cuoco adds, “I think we fell a little in love in that elevator shaft.”

The actors dated from 2007 to 2009, and despite our love of celebrity couplings, the relationship was never revealed while both were together. Johnny Galecki has reflected on how he would have handled his relationship with Kaley Cuoco differently, which includes not worrying about fan perception had they gone public with their partnership. The former couple parted on good terms and remain good friends to this day.