Johnny Galecki's Tribute To Ex Kaley Cuoco Has Everyone Talking

Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco's on-screen romance in the CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" drove much of the storyline, as it was the colliding worlds of the scientist and his friends with the beautiful, aspiring actor that made the comedy happen. The relationship spilled off the screen and into real life in late 2007, when Galecki and Cuoco began dating. The couple, however, never went public with their relationship until after they broke up in 2009, Cuoco told CBS Watch in 2010. "It was a wonderful relationship but we never spoke a word about it and never went anywhere together. We were so protective of ourselves and the show and didn't want anything to ruin that," Cuoco said.

Cuoco said she was drawn to Galecki from Day One. "When we did the pilot, I was crushing so hard on Galecki but he had a girlfriend," she said on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast (via ET Canada) in November 2020. Given that the show aired in September 2007 and they broke up in late 2009, Galecki and Cuoco must have gotten together shortly thereafter. Their characters continued to play a couple long afterward, which required them to be in frequent love scenes together. In fact, Cuoco thinks creator Chuck Lorre included extra sex scenes after the two broke up "just to f*** with us," she joked with Shepard. All these years later, Galecki and Cuoco continue to be friends — and even mess with each other on social media.

Kaley Cuoco turned 36 on November 30, and her former co-star and ex-boyfriend Johnny Galecki couldn't help but tease her on Instagram a day late. "Happy belated 48th birthday to my / worldwide adored, Mooks," Galecki captioned the December 1 post. Accompanying his humorous message, "The Conners" alum uploaded a selfie that cuts off half of Cuoco's face, putting all the emphasis on himself. Cuoco was quick to react, adding a string of crying-laughing emojis in the comments section within the first hour.

Galecki's tribute to Cuoco is in line with previous birthday posts he dedicated to Cuoco. On December 1, 2020, he once again took to Instagram to wish a happy "74th birthday to my fake wife," referring to the relationship between Penny and Leonard on "The Big Bang Theory."

Since breaking up with Galecki, Cuoco has been married twice — first to Ryan Sweeting, and later to Karl Cook, from whom she separated in September, according to CNN. For his part, Galecki was in a relationship with Alaina Meyer between 2018 and late 2020, according to People. In December 2019, Galecki and Meyer welcomed their son, Avery, he announced on Instagram. Through all of it, Galecki and Cuoco have maintained a strong bond, even after "The Big Bang Theory" ended in 2019. "Johnny has a baby now ... [he] sends me pictures constantly. He's very proud. It's really, really sweet," Cuoco told Us Weekly in March 2020.

Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco often celebrate each other. In September 2019, Galecki took to Instagram to share a collage of two photos of him and Cuoco, one from the early years of "The Big Bang Theory" and a more recent snap. In the first, the two hug and smile for the camera. In the second, Galecki makes an annoyed expression as Cuoco pretend-yells at him. "What a difference 12 years of fake marriage makes. [Love] you, Mooks," he captioned the post, showing that he has been calling Cuoco "Mooks" for a while. 

In an Instagram Story, per ET Online, Cuoco proved Galecki isn't the only one who uses a special nickname. She uploaded a screenshot of a text exchange between the two in which they shared a laugh about an article suggesting their relationship had been "boring" and "forgettable." Her contact name for Galecki? "Mooks Cell." So many Mooks, so little time!

Of course, it's not too surprising the exes are so affectionate, as they weathered a breakup amid filming a TV show. "Luckily Johnny and I came out of (the breakup) so brilliantly," Cuoco said during a 2020 appearance on the "Armchair Expert" podcast. "We're closer today than we ever were."

Kaley Cuoco proved her friendship with Johnny Galecki was in no way a problem for her ex-husband, Karl Cook, taking to Instagram in March 2017 to share a snapshot of her ex-boyfriend and then-boyfriend hugging. They even posed on the iconic brown couch featured in "The Big Bang Theory" to boot! Both had their lips puckered as Galecki pretended to kiss Cook on the cheek. "Ummmmmm then this happened [two monkey emoji] @sanctionedjohnnygalecki get off my man!" Cuoco captioned the post. 

The three also seemed to have a grand ole time together at the Annual Critics' Choice Awards in January 2018. As seen in a photo shared on an Instagram fan page, Galecki, Cuoco, and Cook had a group hug while sitting at the same table. To celebrate Cuoco's birthday in 2017, Galecki uploaded a photo in which he is standing between Cuoco and Cook, except Cuoco was partially cut off from the picture. 

Even after Galecki split from Alaina Meyer, Cuoco's then-hubby was supposedly OK with the two chatting on the phone. "Normally, this would suck for any guy in his situation," a source claimed to OK! Magazine. "It's no secret that fans still view Kaley and Johnny as soulmates who should never have split. But Karl trusts Kaley implicitly." Hey, whatever works! And now that both Cuoco and Galecki appear to be single, maybe they can rekindle things. TBD!