Real Life Couples of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ Cast—From Long Marriages to Whirlwind Romances

Leonard and Sheldon might be the most unlikely to find a girlfriend or get a date, but real-life counterparts Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons have been able to figure it out. They and the other stars of The Big Bang Theory have found their real-life loves without the help of quantum physics, but it wasn’t without trying.

With an on-screen romance bleeding into real life and a few off-screen relationships that didn’t last, eventually these celebrities found their true loves. Keep reading to find out who your favorite The Big Bang Theory stars are coupled up with off-camera.

Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco

They may not have gotten together as Penny and Leonard on-screen until season 3, but the story goes a bit differently for Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco. It was clear from the start of the show that the two had feelings for each other as the spark was always there.

“I had a very big crush on Johnny early on,” Cuoco explained. “I was so not even hiding it. He has such swagger. We were both dating people at the time, but I only had eyes for Johnny. Then, when I found out he had eyes for me, too, I was like, ‘Uh‑oh, this is going to be trouble.’”

Their chemistry lasted throughout season 1 as their characters were flirting but not pulling the trigger on the relationship. But in 2008, following that first year, the actors figured it out in real life.

Galecki and Cuoco finally caved on their chemistry and got together, dating for two years until 2010. Their on-screen counterparts would go on to marry and start a family, but Galecki and Cuoco remained friends after their breakup and were able to keep working together without much difficulty. In fact, Cuoco revealed that after she and Galecki ended their offscreen relationship, the Big Bang creators poked fun at them through their characters.

“All of a sudden, we started noticing there were extra makeout scenes for our characters, and/or s-x scenes,” Cuoco shared as part of the book The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series. “I was like, “I think [creator] Chuck [Lorre] is f—ing with us!” We were convinced. Convinced! Like, ‘Yeah, they want to date and break up on my show, well, here you go!’ and he was writing all the little doodads in there.”

Johnny Galecki and Alaina Meyer

In 2018, it was confirmed that the 43-year-old actor was dating 21-year-old model Alaina Meyer. Although the two never married, they welcomed a son, Avery, in 2019 and have frequently shared photos together online and posed on a few red carpets. In 2020, however, it was announced the couple was splitting up.