It’s been two decades since the TV world lost sitcom legend John Ritter. His lack of physical presence hasn’t lessened his impact as his TV co-stars have kept his memory alive, including his 8 Simple Rules daughter Kaley Cuoco. She did just that recently by sharing a sweet 8 Simple Rules memory with Ritter before his death.
The Big Bang Theory alum spoke highly of her late TV dad to People while attending The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health’s An Evening from the Heart gala. She recalled the TV dad being “so funny” and loving his fans until the end. Opening up about her time with the sitcom legend led Cuoco to reveal the mutual adoration between Ritter and the audience. The TV star remembered how “good” the comedic actor was even at his expense, saying:
I remember when we were shooting Eight Simple Rules, [he] used to tell me that he would mess up in front of the audience on purpose to make them laugh. And I was like, ‘No way!’ And then I would watch him mess up over and over when I knew he knew the scenes, and I took that with me for a long time.
Cuoco’s story didn’t sound too farfetched given Ritter’s penchant for laughs – jokes, physical comedy, bloopers, etc. The 8 Simple Rules set sounded joyous and exciting as the sitcom veteran entertained the audience. Watching the Three’s Company alum mess up on purpose affected her. She recalled the lesson she took away from those moments, saying:
He didn’t take himself seriously. And I feel like we need to get back to what that is not taking ourselves so seriously.
Kaley Cuoco made a good point with her takeaway, especially when you consider the scrutiny actors face. She mentioned John Ritter “touched a lot of lives” before and after his untimely passing.
Besides her set story, Cuoco reminisced about the late Hearts Afire star with other former co-stars. Oscar-winner Billy Bob Thornton, who starred with Ritter on Hearts Afire, connected with the Flight Attendant star on The Big Bang Theory set over the late sitcom star.
Thornton and Cuoco weren’t the only ones thinking of Ritter as former America’s Funniest Home Video host Tom Bergeron recalled Bob Saget’s death reminding him of Ritter’s. So, the comedic actor’s legacy still lives in memories despite passing on two decades ago.
Kaley Cuoco’s connection with John Ritter continues to live on despite only playing TV daughter and father for one and a half seasons on 8 Simple Rules.
You can watch their close relationship by streaming the ABC comedy with a Disney+ subscription. Follow up the sitcom rewind by checking out our 2024 TV schedule to see what comedies are premiering this year.