Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Episode: Kaley Cuoco Returns

Release Date: February 9, 2026
Guest: Kaley Cuoco
Hosts: Dax Shepard (A), Monica Padman (B)

Episode Overview

Kaley Cuoco returns to Armchair Expert for a lively, candid, and humor-filled sit-down with Dax and Monica. They discuss Kaley's animal rescue ranch, her new MGM+ limited series "Vanished," navigating parenting and fame, reflections on past roles, relationships, and their unfiltered thoughts on everything from true crime obsessions to separate bedrooms in marriage. The episode is filled with warmth, self-deprecating humor, and memorable stories about resilience, authenticity, and embracing life’s chaos.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kaley’s Return and Past Appearance

• [03:33-04:04] Kaley’s last appearance was via Zoom during COVID lockdown; she’s thrilled to return in person.
• Noted the huge milestone of Armchair Expert’s "thousandth" charade episode.

2. Life in Thousand Oaks & The Animal Ranch

• [04:09-07:57] Kaley describes living near her family and running a 40-acre rescue ranch ("full rescue") with a menagerie: Zonkeys ("a zebra and a donkey"), mini ponies, pigs (the undeniable bosses), ducks, and more.
  • “I've taken so many animals. I mean, we have people that have to live there now.” (C, 06:12)
  • Insights on animal dynamics, pecking order, and letting creatures (and kids) sort things out.

3. On the Slippery Slope of Exotic Pets

• [07:30-08:39] Dax jokes about Kaley getting a giraffe or rhino next; anecdotes about Bactrian camels.
  • Kaley admits her desire for unusual animals: “I want things we shouldn’t have, like a rhino.” (C, 07:34)

4. Amish Country, Zonkeys & Animal Ethics

• [08:39-09:45] Commentary on the Amish and cross-breeding animals; Kaley reflects on overbred party animals and a nationwide animal problem.
  • “People are doing crazy shit to animals. Not just that...” (C, 09:08)
• Kaley describes her zonkey’s look, “More like a donkey. Striped legs. Gray body. Calm, very sweet.” (C, 09:45)

5. Parenting in the Public Eye & Shaming

• [10:00-13:06] Kaley recounts the online backlash for letting her daughter see mature TV shows (Game of Thrones, Succession) and brushes it off with signature confidence.
  • “My kid’s amazing. Go watch this... I really don’t [care]. I have heard everything about me.” (C, 11:03, 12:12)
  • Dax and Monica chime in about parenting judgments and social media shaming.

6. Emotional Resilience & Self-Confidence

• [12:28-13:06] Kaley discusses not caring what others think, citing her busy, multifaceted childhood (sports, friends, acting), and how that helped her remain grounded.
  • “I was kind of just like a little bit of a duck. Kind of just rolled off…” (C, 13:07)

7. Podcast & True Crime Obsessions

• [14:09-16:29] Kaley’s favorite podcasts: "Sword and Scale" (dark, true crime), and near-death experience shows, and Monica recommends "Beth’s Dead".
  • “My obsession right now is really dark true crime... Sword and Scale.” (C, 14:09)
  • Dax analyzes why true crime appeals, especially to women: “You hope to gather defenses against this ever happening to you.” (A, 15:23)

8. Personal Near-Death & Vulnerability

• [17:00-20:17] Dax shares his own car accident "near-death" story, sparking a discussion on calmness in traumatic moments—mirroring common themes in Kaley’s favorite podcasts.

9. Kaley’s “Gift of Sleep”

• [20:37-22:21] Kaley humorously boasts the rare ability to sleep anywhere, anytime—a must-have, she says, for actors’ schedules.
  • “I think I learned it from being on set. I can literally go to sleep... anywhere.” (C, 20:52)

10. On Relationships: Tom Pelphrey, Divorce, and New Beginnings

• [23:20-31:15] Kaley candidly details meeting her fiancé Tom Pelphrey after her divorce, the "Eat Your Hollywood Story" of their match, and feeling lowest before a happy turn.
  • “On the floor sobbing... thought I blew up my life... The lowest point in my life I ever had.” (C, 26:39)
  • She shares about their unique, genuine connection—first sensed while deep-diving Tom’s Instagram: “I get this feeling that I’m going to spend my life with him... And I met him two weeks later.” (C, 28:00)

11. Navigating Career, Motherhood & Geography

• [34:09-35:49] Kaley opens up about not originally planning for kids, then embracing motherhood with Tom, the challenge of bi-coastal life, and Tom’s struggle with LA’s Hollywood culture.

12. Post-Big Bang Career: Motivation & Money

• [36:07-37:30] Dax probes if Kaley’s project choices post-Big Bang Theory are intentional; Kaley distills her motivation as genuine interest, noting the TV landscape’s major changes.
  • On income shift: “I live the same as I did 20 years ago... I like the way that I live, I don’t want to change.” (C, 36:56)

13. Kaley’s Pet Food Venture

• [41:50-42:52] Explains launching "Oh, Norman!" (pet food company): “It’s so authentic to me... everything I’m telling you, I’m doing, I’m using." (C, 42:29)

14. Showbiz Realities: Rejection & Hosting Dreams

• [43:53-46:29] Kaley jokes about not being chosen as the NFL Honors host despite pitching herself, and how rejection—even as a “fifth choice”—does not shake her sense of self.
  • “It doesn’t mean all of a sudden I’m not good... They know I’m good.” (C, 46:05)

15. Charmed Season 8: Being the “New Girl”

• [46:34-48:55] Kaley recalls joining "Charmed" in its final season, feeling like the outsider, and Alyssa Milano’s kind welcome.
  • “Alyssa Milano... got up, ran over to me—‘Welcome to the show!’—gave me the biggest hug...” (C, 47:14)

16. Domestic Chaos: Dogs, Barking, and Couples’ Sleep

• [51:11-55:12] Tales of messy dog rescue life, endless barking, and “garbage gut" dogs.
• On sleeping arrangements: Kaley and Tom happily sleep in separate rooms for sanity and better rest, challenging outdated marital norms.
  • “Best decision we ever made... We’re such happier people now after deciding.” (C, 56:01)

17. Work-family Balance & "Vanished"

• [57:04-58:42] The challenges and guilt of leaving her young daughter to shoot the new series in France; Tom’s support enabled her to do it.

18. "Vanished": Plot & Parallels to Real Life

• [59:02-62:33] Kaley’s character is an archaeologist whose boyfriend disappears on a train in France—Dax notes how art imitates life with her own relationship and constant life changes.
  • Kaley on filming: “I fall asleep on the train, which I'm good at. They caught me for real..." (C, 60:25)
  • Praises the show as a mystery/thriller, “I love a whodunit.” (C, 62:01)

19. Changing TV Landscape & Professional Gratitude

• [62:41-65:15] Discussing shortened TV seasons, impacts of COVID and the Hollywood strike, and mutual admiration for actors like Noah Wyle making a comeback.

20. Lighthearted Anecdotes & Relationship Dynamics

• Extended fact check segment turns to playful banter about sleepovers, fart etiquette, Disneyland group trips, and living authentically—even if it means separate bedrooms or embarrassing stories.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Handling Criticism:

  “I really don’t. I have heard everything about me. I have heard great things. I’ve heard terrible things. I’ve been made fun of. I’ve been loved… So you think I give a shit if someone cares that I handed my two year old an iPad? Don’t care.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (12:12)

• On Meeting Tom Pelphrey:

  “I scan, scan, scan, scan, and I get this feeling that I’m going to spend my life with him. And I texted my best friend Zasha in that moment… And it was Tom. And I met him two weeks later.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (28:00)

• On Showbiz Ego:

  “I don’t feel that way. I’m like, that’s not the look they’re going for. It’s obvious… It doesn’t mean I go home like, ‘oh, I guess they didn’t want me.’ They know I’m good.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (46:09)

• On Marital Sleep Arrangements:

  “Best decision we ever made... We’re such happier people now after deciding... It works great for us. We’re so much happier.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (56:01)

• On Resilience:

  “What else am I gonna do? I just roll through. I don’t care.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (35:56)

• On Animal Companions:

  “We have four [dogs]… Crazy. It’s a low number for us… I love rescuing seniors so they don’t last as long.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (49:14)

• On Her Sincerity with Ventures:

  “It’s so authentic to me. It’s like if someone was an influencer… Like, this makes sense for me. So I want them to know that everything I’m telling you I’m doing, I’m using.”
  —Kaley Cuoco (42:29)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Animal Ranch, Zonkey, Amish reflections:
  [04:09-09:45]
• Parenting in the public eye & criticism:
  [10:00-13:06]
• Podcast & true crime obsession:
  [14:09-16:29]
• Personal near-death experience (Dax’s story):
  [17:00-20:17]
• Relationship with Tom Pelphrey, divorce & new beginnings:
  [23:20-31:15]
• Adjusting to post-sitcom success, finance, and lifestyle:
  [36:07-37:30]
• Launching “Oh, Norman!” pet food:
  [41:50-42:52]
• Charmed Season 8, Alyssa Milano welcome:
  [46:34-48:55]
• Dogs, barking, and sleeping arrangements:
  [51:11-56:01]
• Filming “Vanished,” motherhood, and supporting family:
  [57:04-58:42]
• Plot of “Vanished," filming details:
  [59:02-62:33]

Episode Tone

• Warm, relentlessly candid, high-spirited, and self-deprecating.
• Kaley’s easy humor and self-awareness shine, with Dax and Monica riffing about parenting, fame, and the absurdities of life in a way that is both deeply human and continually funny.

For Listeners New & Old

Whether you’re a Kaley Cuoco fan, a dog lover, or curious about the real, unvarnished side of Hollywood success, this episode delivers a blend of personal storytelling, hard-won wisdom, and laugh-out-loud moments. From surviving online parenting shaming to life with a houseful of rescue dogs, Kaley’s contagious authenticity and buoyant outlook are a reminder that sometimes, learning not to care is the only way to care for yourself.

Kaley Cuoco’s limited series “Vanished” is out now on MGM+.