Kaley Cuoco Discusses Her Divorce Struggles

Kaley Cuoco recently opened up about the emotional challenges she faced during her divorce from her second husband, Karl Cook.

In a segment on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” the 40-year-old actress described the heavy feelings of depression she battled during the splitting of their marriage, which officially began in 2022.

“It was the premiere of the second season of ‘The Flight Attendant.’ I remember waking up that day feeling incredibly sad, just lying on the floor, unable to breathe,” Cuoco shared.

She went on to say, “I thought I might die. It really felt that intense. I kept questioning myself: ‘What am I doing?'”

Cuoco recounted how her team had to support her in preparing for the event scheduled for April 2022. “They had to literally put me on the floor; I couldn’t even stand up,” she said with a hint of disbelief. “I thought my life was over.” It was a dark moment for her.

Reflecting on that time, she noted, “Lying there, I realized, ‘Wow, this is what it feels like to hit rock bottom.'” Cuoco described that morning as “the worst of my life,” adding an ironic twist—that she had expected it to be a joyous celebration for the show’s premiere.

“It’s just surreal how life can unravel in such a way,” she mentioned to Barrymore.

Cuoco filed for divorce from Cook in September 2021 after four years of marriage. The couple, who married in June 2018, issued a joint statement indicating that despite their love and respect for each other, they were taking different paths in life.

They emphasized, “There’s no anger or hostility here; it’s quite the opposite.” Their divorce was finalized in June 2022.

Cuoco later shared that she met her current fiancé, Tom Pelphrey, just three weeks after her emotional downturn. “I felt like my spirit had faded,” she reflected. “I even wrote somewhere that I didn’t think I’d get married again.” Yet soon after, she met Pelphrey.

The Emmy nominee, engaged to Pelphrey in 2024, acknowledged her changing feelings. She recalled the intensity of her past struggles, noting, “I remember it vividly; it was a transformative experience.”

“It’s a long journey, though,” she added. “It requires time and a good amount of forgiveness.”

Before her marriage to Cook, Cuoco was previously married to professional tennis player Ryan Sweeting from 2013 to 2016.