There very nearly weren't 12 seasons of Big Bang Theory for the world to enjoy. Or at least not 12 with Kaley Cuoco.
New book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series tells about an incident that nearly brought the show to a complete halt. Kaley Cuoco's accident while horseback riding almost called for her to have an injured leg amputated.
Cuoco, an avid equestrian competitor, was riding during the third season of the show in 2010 when she fell off, startling the animal, which then fell on her leg. She was hurried to the hospital, where medical staff did not hold out much hope.
Luckily she made it through, leg intact, but it was a dark moment for the show then still in its early years.
Cuoco herself recalled the tumult of the moment, over a decade later.
"Before I went into surgery, they made me sign something that said, ‘We don’t know until we get in there and see this leg, and it could come out that you don’t have it anymore'."
"That wasn’t the case, obviously, but I had to sign something that said, ‘OK, you can.’ Everything ended up fine, and I was up and working a week later, but the doctors acted like I was never going to walk again."
"It’s still too much for me to go into, and it sounded way worse than it was. And of course, it was spiraling and everyone was freaking out, which I get. It scared people."
Cuoco recovered within a few weeks and only had to be written out of two episodes.
At the time, only a few people really knew how serious the injury might have been. In tweets dating back to that time, people could read between the lines.
Someone suggested the leg would be written into the show.
\u201cBummer. Kaley Cuoco from Big Bang Theory broke her leg horseback riding. She'll be on hiatus or they'll use it as a gimmick on the show.\u201d— Molly E. Holzschlag (@Molly E. Holzschlag) 1284495531
Meanwhile, others expressed concern and hopes for her recovery at the time.
\u201cI didn't know Kaley Cuoco's injury was so serious, I'm glad she doing better. Shame that she's going to have metal bars on her leg forever.\u201d— Sayini (@Sayini) 1286930683
Former costar Holly Marie Combs Ryan of Charmed commented on the new technology Cuoco sported.
\u201cMiss @KaleyCuoco finally got herself on the twitter. Say hello to Bionic girl now with a new improved super duty titanium leg.\u201d— Holly Marie Combs Ryan (@Holly Marie Combs Ryan) 1289947161
In regards to the behind-the-scenes book revelations, people had more visceral reactions.
\u201c@TMZ @TooFab That must have been terrifying\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1665523207
\u201c@TMZ @TooFab \ud83d\udc97\n\nhuggs.\ud83d\udc97\n\n\ud83d\udc97\n\nPrayers.Sent.\ud83d\ude07\ud83d\udc97\u201d— TMZ (@TMZ) 1665523207
\u201cMY WIFE R U OKAY\u201d— ana \u2766\u2019s lena WHIPLASH DAY (@ana \u2766\u2019s lena WHIPLASH DAY) 1665501167
Someone made a joke about the wording of a few headlines.
\u201c@people Is Kaley Cuoco qualifed to perform an amputation?\u201d— People (@People) 1665501124
Cuoco clearly didn't let the accident deter her from being with horses as much as possible and advocating for them.
\u201cBillie Eilish and Kaley Cuoco Among Stars to Sign Letter to End Horse-Drawn Carriages in N.Y.C. https://t.co/IianMlofyZ\u201d— People (@People) 1664393290
It's good Cuoco got back on the literal and figurative horse and that things went so well over a decade ago so we could all get the full run of Big Bang Theory.
