Kaley Cuoco Was Struggling To Survive as Her Career Hit a Turning Point With the Flight Attendant: “I thought I’d never find love again”
Kaley Cuoco is getting incredibly honest about a time when her public success masked a deep, private struggle. During a heartfelt sit-down on The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress looked back at the grueling morning of her The Flight Attendant season two premiere in 2022.
While the world saw a star at the peak of her career, Cuoco was actually experiencing a crushing wave of depression brought on by her divorce from Karl Cook. She described waking up that day feeling so heavy with sadness that she couldn’t even breathe and found herself paralyzed on her bedroom floor.
It was a terrifying moment where she genuinely believed she was gonna die and felt that her entire life was over. The irony of hitting such a low point on a day that was supposed to be the best night of her life was not lost on her, making the experience even more confusing and painful.
Things were so difficult that Cuoco says her glam team actually had to start her hair and makeup while she was still on the floor because she simply could not get up. She was convinced at the time that she would never find love again or have the family she wanted.
However, she now views that worst morning as a turning point that eventually transformed her into a whole new person, though she admits it took a great deal of time and self-forgiveness to heal.
In a twist of fate, she met her now-fiance, Ozark star Tom Pelphrey, just three weeks after that rock-bottom moment. Cuoco had previously told magazines that she would never get married again, but meeting Pelphrey changed everything for her.
She now embraces the fact that people are allowed to change their minds, noting that she is in a completely different headspace today than she was while lying on that floor four years ago.
As of February, Kaley is thriving both personally and professionally. She just launched her new mystery thriller series Vanished on MGM+, which premiered on February 1. In the four-part show, she stars alongside Sam Claflin as Alice Monroe, a woman desperately searching for her boyfriend after he disappears on a train in France.
The series has already climbed to the top of the streaming charts, marking another major win for her production company, Yes, Norman Productions. She is also currently developing a new HBO comedy called Kansas City Star, where she plays a semi-famous actress who moves back to her hometown to join a local theater group.
Beyond her TV work, Cuoco has been a mainstay on the awards circuit, recently appearing at the Critics’ Choice Awards in a sleek “menswear-inspired” look to support Pelphrey. The couple is reportedly taking their time with wedding planning, enjoying life with their daughter, Matilda, who is set to turn 3 next month.
Do you think Kaley Cuoco’s openness about her “rock bottom” moment will help change the way people view the high-pressure world of Hollywood red carpets? Share your thoughts in the comments.