Kaley Cuoco Is 'Gonna Be a Helicopter Mom,' Jokes 'Big Bang Theory' Boss Chuck Lorre (Exclusive)

In an interview with ET, the producer gushes that his former star is "big-hearted, warm and wonderful." 

The Big Bang Theory boss is sending his well wishes to Kaley Cuoco! In an interview with ET on Wednesday, producer Chuck Lorre gushed over Cuoco's pregnancy announcement and was sure to wish her well. 

"I found out today," he shared with ET's Nischelle Turner, while sitting down with writer Jessica Radloff to discuss her new oral history book, The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series.

The 36-year-old actress announced this week that she and her boyfriend, Ozark actor Tom Pelphrey, are expecting their first child -- a baby girl.

"She and Tommy are so perfect together," said Radloff, who worked closely with Cuoco while crafting the book. "They are just so happy. I'm so thrilled for her and they're gonna be such great parents, I absolutely know it."

As for what kind of mother Cuoco will be, Lorre cracked, "She's gonna be a helicopter mom! Gonna be all over this kid." 

Radloff added, "For as busy as Kaley is, she is so on top of things. ...She will have a chart for this kid, I mean, it will be amazing."

Cuoco previously starred as Penny on the hit sitcom, which ran from 2007 to 2019. Describing her as "genuinely a big-hearted, warm and wonderful, and incredibly skilled actress," Lorre said she was the key puzzle piece to make the show work. 

In the original pilot for the series, the female character was called Katie and written to be both "ditsy" and "troubled." The initial role was played by actress Amanda Walsh, while Elizabeth Berkley, Marisa Tomei and Tara Reid had also been considered for the part.

"When we started, we didn't know that the audience was going to feel protective of these brilliant characters -- because they're almost childlike," Lorre said of the male leads, played by Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons. "They're incredibly intelligent, mind-bogglingly smart men who were extremely vulnerable and the audience just couldn’t tolerate any kind of a hostile character around them."

When Cuoco was cast, the character's name had been changed to Penny and her demeanor was made to be "very warm and tolerant" with the "common sense" that her on-screen counterparts lacked.  

"She became the conduit for the audience," Lorre said, noting that the producers "decided the show is ultimately about intelligence and how far does intelligence get you in this world." 

"Penny represented common sense," he continued. "She had people skills, she understood how to move through this world. She had no idea what their world was, but they couldn't do what she could do and she couldn't do what they can do, but they complemented one another."

The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story is out now

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