During the fourth season of Chuck Lorre's CBS comedy “The Big Bang Theory,” Johnny Galecki, who played Leonard Hofstadter throughout the series, almost left the series entirely. It wasn't because of dissatisfaction with a job or another project; It was due to a very serious medical emergency. (Spoiler alert: Galecki ended up playing Leonard for all 12 seasons of the show.)
In the book “The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive, Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series” by Jessica Radloff, Galecki recalls that in 2011 he received his first Emmy nomination for his role as Leonard… and also made the truly terrifying discovery of his state of health while he was on vacation. “I was at my sister's house in Chicago and tears kept coming out of my right eye. I took allergy medication and when I woke up I was still crying, but this time I was also drooling and one side of my face was completely drooping. “I thought I was having a mini stroke.”
Even as he and his sister rushed to the nearest hospital to get help, Galecki was only thinking about the offer…and he made an offer to Lori, thinking she had just suffered an irreversible stroke. “My sister burst into tears, and as we were driving to the hospital, I called Chuck and told him my right side was paralyzed,” Galecki recalled. “I said, 'I'll help you recast my role and I'd like you to consider hiring me as a writer on the show, too.'” And of course, Chuck calls up the best doctors in the world, looks at things, and says, “It looks like you have Bell's Palsy.”
Johnny Galecki had to ask the cast of The Big Bang Theory to portray him differently after suffering from Bell's palsy.
Even as Chuck Lorre rushed to consult medical professionals and help Johnny Galecki get to the bottom of his sudden health emergency, Galecki was sure his career as Leonard Hofstadter was over. Fortunately, doctors informed him that he had Bell's palsy, which is not permanent (and can be treated with physical therapy), and that he did not suffer a debilitating stroke.
“But I was really thinking that my acting career was over,” Galecki continued. “Later at the hospital, after running tests, they confirmed it was Bell's palsy.” However, this created a new problem for Galecki to deal with: how to continue filming “The Big Bang Theory” and any public appearances without revealing the diagnosis. “So when the Emmy nominations came out, I didn't tell my team that I had Bell's Palsy, but now I had to,” she said. “I said, 'Half my face doesn't work, so if you could put cameras on the left side of my face, that would be great.' “And I'll bring a handkerchief to wipe my tears because my one eye doesn't blink.”
“But everything turned out well,” Galecki said, before noting that Bell's palsy is actually an ongoing problem (or at least it was when Jessica Radloff wrote the book in 2022). “However, to this day, when I feel extremely tired, I can feel some weakness in that aspect.”
Another time, Chuck Lorre found a medical professional to save the day during The Big Bang Theory.
Surprisingly, that wasn't the only time Chuck Lorre said, it must be said, No Medical: Able to provide sound medical advice and assistance to a member of your team. In September 2010, Kaley Cuoco, who played Penny and was an avid horse rider, was thrown from a horse that then stepped on her leg, and when she was taken to the hospital, Laurie was playing golf and had a great opportunity to run. -in.
“This was the darkest, scariest moment in the last 12 years,” Laurie said. Callie could have lost her leg. “It was a series of miracles that allowed us to overcome that and come out on the other end of that health condition.” Before explaining that on the Golden Course he met a famous orthopedic surgeon named Dr. Stephen Lombardo. “It was sent from heaven,” Lowry recalls, saying that Dr. Lombardo helped him transport Coco from a smaller hospital outside of Los Angeles (which was closer to the accident site). “I said, 'Steve, this is what's happening.' I don't know what to do. Could you help me?” He called and arranged for an ambulance to take Callie immediately to Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, and within an hour or two of that phone call, she was at Cedars undergoing surgery with the best surgeons available to stop the infection in his leg. It was completely open.
“But it was so miraculous that I met Dr. Steve on this golf course,” Laurie said in the book. “Every time I see him I say: Thank you! You saved Callie! And on a minor level, you saved the Big Bang Theory! Apparently, if you're an actor on a Chuck Lorre show and you get hurt while you're not working, you're in very good hands.
