Will Pitts live up to potential after extension?
Kaley Cuoco Cried Filming ‘Big Bang Theory’ Breakup Scene Weeks After Real-Life Johnny Galecki Split

Kaley Cuoco had an emotional reaction to filming a breakup scene in The Big Bang Theory weeks after she and costar Johnny Galecki split in real life.
While appearing on the Monday, June 29, episode of “The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast,” director Anthony Rich recalled his first day on set which happened to be while filming the end of season 3. Rich, now 58, directed the episode “The Spaghetti Catalyst” which followed the aftermath of the breakup between Penny and Leonard, played by Cuoco and Galecki, respectively. The character’s split came shortly after the actors called it quits.
“There was a lot going on that week,” Rich joked, explaining that Cuoco and Galecki dated for “about two years” and split “four to six weeks earlier.”
Host Jessica Radloff added that Cuoco and Galecki handled the change in their personal lives “beautifully” as it was a “really difficult” situation.
Related: Kaley Cuoco and Ex Johnny Galecki's Friendship Through the Years
No hard feelings! Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki have maintained a strong friendship since their 2009 split — and never let their personal lives get in the way of their professional bond. The actors worked together on the Big Bang Theory for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. When the series began, they sparked an […]“So now their characters are breaking up, and this is just hitting a little too close to home,” she said.
Rich recalled while filming the post-breakup scenes for Penny and Leonard, both Cuoco and Galecki felt like the script was “not giving proper attention to the demise of the relationship.” Rich explained that the writers did not want to give fans a “real sad breakup episode.”
“People don’t wanna watch that. They’re here to laugh,” he said.
Rich also shared that when it was time for Galecki and Cuoco to reunite in front of the cameras “it was hard for them to even get through it.” Rich claimed that Cuoco “started sobbing” and went off stage to collect herself. When Rich went to check on her, they had a sweet heart-to-heart.
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Related: Kaley Cuoco Would ‘Absolutely Reprise’ Penny Role in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Kaley Cuoco has revealed she loves Penny in The Big Bang Theory just as much as fans do. Cuoco, 38, told People in an interview published on Saturday, October 19, that her role in the hit CBS sitcom made a significant impact on her life. “I spent 12 years playing that role, and it really […]“She goes, ‘I thought I could handle it, but it’s kinda catching up to me.’ And then she looks at me and she’s like, ‘And I’m ruining your episode.’ I was like, ‘You’re not ruining my episode,’” he recalled.
After the pep talk, Cuoco returned to film with Galecki. Rich praised both Cuoco and Galecki for being “such pros” during that time.
While Cuoco and Galecki’s characters ultimately got back together on The Big Bang Theory, the pair’s love story didn’t have the same ending in real-life. Cuoco found love with actor Tom Pelphrey whom she started dating in 2022. The couple share daughter Matilda, 2, and are currently expecting baby No. 2. In 2024, Johnny revealed he married wife Morgan Galecki and they quietly welcomed daughter Oona.
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Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Drama Explained: How Dave Portnoy Was Involved
The Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn “Call Her Daddy” drama will go down in history — so much so that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy included it in his June 2026 memoir, Cancel Me If You Can.
“The revelation of Alex and Sofia’s torpedoed friendship was almost more than the public could handle,” Portnoy wrote in his book. “Two girls who the world loved to hate now hated each other.”
Portnoy’s version of the story offered more details that the public might not have been privy to before. For example, he first noticed Cooper on MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard’s Instagram in 2017, when they were dating.
After hearing about her decision to launch a podcast, Portnoy reached out to Cooper, and the “Call Her Daddy” era began. The podcast launched at Barstool Sports in 2018 where it lived until 2021, when Cooper and the company mutually parted ways.
However, the end of the “Call Her Daddy” and Barstool era had tons of drama, which rocked the internet in 2020 as Cooper and Franklyn severed their friendship.
Keep scrolling for a complete breakdown:

The Contract Drama Begins
According to Portnoy, the contract drama began in 2019 after Cooper and Franklyn appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast. They started to “show their growing dissatisfaction” with being tied to Barstool, he claimed, and by the end of that year, lawyers were involved for contract negotiations.
By 2020, however, things got even rockier when the contract drama went public. In May of that year, Cooper told “Call Her Daddy” listeners that she and Frankyn had signed a three-year deal with Barstool, making $75,000 their first year, $85,000 the second year and $100,000 the third. They both got a raise during their first year because of how well the podcast was performing. Cooper, who handled the production side of the podcast, got an extra bump.
Behind the scenes, Franklyn’s then-boyfriend started shopping the show around to other networks. Portnoy got wind of this.
The Rooftop Meeting
This led to the infamous “rooftop meeting” in 2020 where Portnoy offered Cooper and Franklyn $500,000 along with “3.5 percent each of all merch they sold,” according to Portnoy’s book. “At the end of their term, they would own all their merch sales,” he explained. It also “cut six months off their contract so they would have to do the podcast with us for only one more year,” he wrote, noting that after the year ended, Barstool would “relinquish full ownership of the intellectual property.”
Cooper Accepts the Deal
Cooper had her own meeting with Portnoy and eventually accepted the deal.
“Alex left our meeting saying that she wanted to accept the deal. She also said that Sofia hated my guts, which came as a surprise,” he wrote. “The whole time I had believed that Alex was the one who didn’t like me, but I thought that I had a solid relationship with Sofia.”
Portnoy also admitted to leaking the story about the drama to The New York Post, leading to the end of Cooper and Franklyn’s friendship.
“It worked perfectly: Alex and Sofia completely severed all communication. They each believed the other had leaked the story,” Portnoy wrote. “The friendship, and the podcast as we knew it, would never exist again. They hated each other.”
Related: Barstool Employees Who’ve Detailed Salaries and Contract Negotiations
Getty Images (3) Barstool Sports is (almost) always making headlines for something — and they are arguably well-paid to do just that. Grace O’Malley announced her departure from the company in December 2024 after a friendship breakup from longtime bestie Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia (more about that, here) and has since spilled the tea on what […]Cooper’s Docuseries
In June 2025, Cooper reflected on her friendship with Franklyn in the Call Her Alex docuseries. She noted that their relationship had started to fracture long before the contract drama.
“It became really difficult to enjoy the process,” Cooper said at the time. “It was the classic you think you see something online, and people genuinely believed we were like sisters, but our relationship was so awful.”
Franklyn’s Book
Franklyn announced her Daddy Issues memoir in February 2026. The book is set to tell the story of “girlhood, friendship, sexuality, agency and healing.”
“My story has only been told for me. And if you asked me to write this book five years ago you would have gotten a different story — fearful, vengeful, insecure, wounded with something to prove,” Franklyn shared in a statement at the time. “I couldn’t live truthfully until I told it in my own words, on my own terms, and in the most radically honest way I know how.”
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Cooper and Portnoy still have a close-knit business relationship. During a June 2026 interview with Us Weekly, Portnoy even shared the advice he gave Cooper while she was going through some public drama.
He also explained how their relationship evolved — and where he stands with Franklyn — in his memoir.
“Through it all, Alex Cooper has never forgotten the company that helped launch her. She credits me and Barstool frequently, and I’m genuinely happy for all the success she has found,” he wrote. “I’m even hoping she helps me promote this book. I guess we’ll see what she thinks of this chapter. I have no f***ing idea what Sofia is doing.”
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Jodi Arias Sells Patriotic Art for America’s 250th Despite Government’s Alleged ‘Attempts to Kill’ Her

Convicted killer Jodi Arias revealed that she is selling patriotic art to commemorate the United States of America’s 250th birthday despite the government’s “attempts to kill” her.
Arias, 45, took to her Substack on Tuesday, June 30, to share her new business venture while she serves a life sentence at Arizona State Prison Complex – Perryville after she was found guilty of murdering her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander.
“Sometimes, inspiration strikes when I’m in the middle of another project so it has to wait. Sometimes, I’ll push off my new idea for so long that the inspiration for it packs its bags and leaves,” she began in the post. “This doesn’t slow me down, though, because the muse presents me with an endless stream of more ideas than I’ll ever be able to create in one lifetime.”
She went on to say that sometimes an “art idea persists” even when put on the back burner.
Related: Stripper Allegedly Beheaded Boyfriend, Left Body at Home and Fled to Mexico
A California woman accused of killing and beheading her boyfriend left his headless body at her home and fled to Mexico, according to authorities, who said she has been captured in the country. Alyssa Marie Lira, 23, was arrested in Mexico and brought back to the U.S. to face murder charges in the killing of […]“In 2024, I was inspired to draw a beautiful Hispanic woman draped in an American flag. I imagined having it all ready to go for the Fourth of July, but time got away from me. The holiday came and went and I decided to work on other things. The following year, the same thing happened,” Arias wrote. “This year, I finally did it, which worked out poetically because of the 250th anniversary of the United States. I named it Americana.”
Arias then shared a photo of the painting, which featured a brunette woman posing with an American flag draped around her shoulders as fireworks were set off behind her.
“While the beautiful woman I drew turned out looking a bit more like Melania’s cousin than a Hispanic woman, her dignified, resolute posture is everything I was going for when I first caught the vision of her,” Arias continued. “She appears strong, vibrant and resilient—all the things I imagine myself to be on a good day.”
Arias said that Americana, which was drawn on heavy-stock paper and is 11×14 inches, is available for purchase on JodiArias.com.
After she explained the logistics of how she made the artwork, Arias shared insight into her current views of the United States government.
“Despite my government’s multiple depraved attempts to kill me in years past, I’m not immune to warm patriotic feelings. Also, 250 years is something to be celebrated,” she wrote. “I’ve been immersed in the spirit of patriotism more this year because these vibes were repeatedly invoked during my tens of hours spent working on Americana.”
Related: Man Captured for Rape, Murder of 5-Year-Old Girl After 25 Years on the Run
A man who was once named to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list has been captured 25 years after he allegedly raped and murdered a 5-year-old girl in Philadelphia. Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced via X on Thursday, February 12, that officials apprehended fugitive Alexis Flores in Honduras for […]Arias concluded the post by explaining that when her brother was in first grade, he learned the lyrics to “Grand Old Flag” for a school assembly.
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Deal Alert! This 44%-Off Throw-On Mini Dress Is Too Good to Leave in Your Cart View Deal“He practiced over and over, which helped me learn the song, too,” she said. “This year, I couldn’t help singing it while I decorated the library in red, white, and blue. Happy 250th, America!”
Arias was convicted of murder in 2013 following the 2008 killing of Alexander, 30, in which she stabbed him nearly 30 times, slashed his throat and shot him in the head.
Despite being found guilty, Arias has insisted she’s innocent of the first degree murder charge and said that she killed Alexander out of self-defense.
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