Kaley Cuoco’s pixie cut in The Big Bang Theory remains one of the most talked-about hair transformations in TV history. However, Cuoco herself admits that cutting her hair off was one of the “worst decisions” she ever made.
In an excerpt from The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series, Cuoco opened up about her bold decision to chop her long locks ahead of Season 8. “I just f–king cut my hair off and didn’t tell anyone,” she recalled. The actress had actually made the change for an independent film called Burning Bodhi, and then showed up at the Big Bang wrap party with her new pixie cut.
Cuoco, who had grown tired of her long hair, explained that she wanted to shake things up both for herself and for her character, Penny. At the time, Penny had started a new job as a pharmaceutical sales representative, and Cuoco hoped the new look would reflect the character’s evolving professional life. But the plan didn’t go exactly as she expected.
“I thought by cutting my hair, I would spend less time in the hair and makeup chair, even though I loved the team,” Cuoco said. “But then in my attempt to save time, it ended up being more work. It took way longer to style my short hair, and I thought, ‘This is the worst decision! What was I thinking?!’”
Cuoco added that, prior to the cut, she had been wearing her hair up a lot during Seasons 6 and 7 because she wasn’t happy with how long it took to get ready each day. But once she cut it, styling her new shorter hair became a bigger task than she anticipated.
The dramatic change didn’t go unnoticed. The Big Bang Theory co-creator Chuck Lorre admitted that he was taken by surprise. “We didn’t have a heads-up on the haircut! When you think back on it, it was startling,” Lorre explained. “Had Kaley come to me, I would’ve told her how the ratings dropped on Dharma & Greg when Jenna Elfman did the same thing, or the fallout from Keri Russell’s haircut in Felicity.”
Lorre pointed out that audiences had become attached to the characters’ appearances as much as to their personalities, and altering those looks could be risky. “It would have been the same thing if Johnny [Galecki] had come to the wrap party and shaved his head,” Lorre said.
Despite the initial shock, Lorre acknowledged that the show survived the change, and Cuoco took it all in stride. “I had fun with it, and I did like it,” she said of the pixie cut. “I’m sure it was being negatively talked about all over the place, but I didn’t pay much attention to what people were saying on social media back then.”
Although the short hairstyle surprised many fans, The Big Bang Theory continued to thrive through its final season in 2019. The show, which ran for 12 seasons, became a pop culture phenomenon and remains iconic for its memorable characters and moments.
