Kaley Cuoco isn’t ready for the end of The Big Bang Theory. The series, which also stars Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Mayim Bialik, Melissa Rauch, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg, will air its final episode later this month following 12 seasons. In a new interview, the actress details why it’s been really tough to say goodbye.
“I feel I go through these waves of depression about it,” Cuoco, 33, reveals in the new issue of Haute Living. “It’s been like a death. It’s hard to let go of something I’m so used to, that’s been a part of my life for so many years.”
The actress called the ending “very bittersweet” and a “weird mental” experience. “I’m very excited for the future, but it’s like letting go of a comfort blanket,” she added. “There’s a part of me that loves that we’re ending and still on top, especially with the way television is going now. Our show is considered not very modern — things have changed in this era of streaming and Netflix — but people still tune in, and it feels good that we’ve kept this classic going for so long. We might be the last of its kind; there’s not many [shows] that have done what Big Bang has done.”
The 8 Simple Rules alum also said that part of her thought the show could have continued on for another three years, but has come to terms with the ending. “I also don’t want to be walking with a cane in the show or be in a wheelchair,” she said. “We need to stop at some point; we’re all getting a little bit older.”
In August, CBS announced that the 12th season of the sitcom would be the last, an announcement that was “a little bit shocking” for everyone on the cast. “We all just assumed we were going to try and make it work, but this group is really all for one and one for all, and it doesn’t work unless it’s all of us,” the actress told the magazine, before adding that while it took time, she’s accepted it now.
Cuoco noted: “The show has changed all of our lives. It’s definitely changed mine.”
The Big Bang Theory will air its final episode on CBS Thursday, May 16, at 8 p.m. ET. It will be followed by Unraveling the Mystery: A Big Bang Farewell, a half-hour retrospect special featuring Cuoco and Galecki.
