‘Big Bang Theory’ star Kaley Cuoco says she was 'shocked' when Jim Parsons announced he was leaving the show
Cuoco played Penny and Parsons starred as Sheldon in the long-running sitcom, which aired for 12 seasons
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kaley Cuoco was at a loss for words when she learned that co-star Jim Parsons wanted to leave "The Big Bang Theory."
Cuoco, who played Penny in the long-running sitcom, recently opened up to Variety about her time on "The Big Bang Theory" and how news of Parsons’ impending departure left her "in a state of shock."
"Jim said, ‘I don’t think I can continue on,’" Cuoco, 35, revealed. "And I was so shocked that I was literally like, ‘Continue on with what?’ Like, I didn’t even know what he was talking about. I looked at [show creator] Chuck [Lorre]: ‘Wow. I thought we were [filming season 13] — I’m so blown away right now.’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At the start of filming season 12, Cuoco revealed a conversation she had with co-star Johnny Galecki about the prospect of filming a potential season 13: "'Did we want to do it?' And we really did."
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Kaley Cuoco was in 'shock' when she found out about Jim Parsons wanting to depart from 'The Big Bang Theory.' (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Following Parsons’ revelation, Lorre stated, "We’re all for one, one for all. And we’re not going to do this without the whole team," according to Cuoco.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That was the one thing we all agreed on — we came in together, we go out together," she added.
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Parsons, 47, played Sheldon Cooper for 12 seasons on the show before ultimately deciding to call it quits -- a decision that brought the show to an end in 2019.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following the end of "The Big Bang Theory," Cuoco has taken on a prominent role as lead star and executive producer for the HBO Max series, "The Flight Attendant."
In "The Flight Attendant," Cuoco plays Cassie Bowden, a heavy-drinking flight attendant who finds herself waking up in the wrong hotel, in the wrong bed with a dead man and no bearings about what happened.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cuoco has now taken on a lead role in the HBO Max series, 'The Flight Attendant.' (Getty Images)
She said after she won the rights to the book through a bidding war, she brought it to Warner Bros. and pitched the idea.
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"I said, ‘I think this is a great character. I think this could be a really great show," she explained in a virtual Television Critics Association panel in August. "And they brought me to [executive producer] Steve [Yockey] and then they brought us to [writer] Greg Berlanti and [producer] Sarah Shechter and it just kept rolling...And I still can't believe we're sitting here talking about it at the TCA."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report