First-time mom Kaley Cuoco is relishing every moment with her baby girl and gearing up for her first Halloween.
Kaley Cuoco is a mom on a mission -- well, a few in fact.
In a new interview with ET's Nischelle Turner, the Based on a True Story star and new mom dished on her busy life, including her newly launched dog product brand, Oh Norman!, named in honor of her beloved dog of 14 years who died in 2021.
"I am a girl who loves dogs," the Big Bang Theory star said. "I know what people want, I know what I want for my dog -- that's all I can go by and also to be able to have this company in Norman's name, the dog that totally changed my life, and that each portion of each sale goes towards animal rescue is what I've dreamed of forever. So that's where we're at and it just felt like the right time, I could put the right products out there, hopefully make it as affordable as possible, and save as many dogs as I can."
The longtime animal advocate -- who is currently an owner of four dogs and a rescue ranch for farm animals -- has seemingly passed on the love to her infant daughter, Matilda. "She is obsessed. What a beautiful thing to raise a kid -- she's only six months -- surrounded by animals 24/7," Cuoco said. "She's in her walker now. She doesn't walk, she doesn't even crawl, but she miraculously is in her walker, like, running around the house, so we laugh. We're like, 'Look out, everybody. You're gonna lose a tail.'"
Added the actress, "But they love her, they kiss her. I mean, from week two, they were kissing her on the mouth. I was like, 'Is this OK?' And our pediatrician was like, 'It's totally fine'... They're kind of being raised together and it's so beautiful and very natural, you know?"
The other person who has a chunk of baby Matilda's heart? Her dad, Tom Pelphrey. "If she hears him in the other room, she’s like, 'I know that voice. I love that voice. Where's that voice?' They are a love story the two of them," Cuoco said.
Meanwhile, the first-time mom and her man are gearing up to take the stage together in Love Kills, a night of one-act plays. All proceeds will go to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees for members in need amid the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
"During this obviously very difficult time, this strike, Tom and I were like, 'What can we do? What can we do? What can we do? How can we give back?' We decided to put on a play. I've never done a play before. I'm regretting this every second of the day, but I got roped in and we have a lovely group of actors. We're doing it at the Colony Theatre which is also struggling in Burbank, so we're hoping this is gonna help save that theater. All the proceeds are going to go to IATSE and many families that have been struck by this strike in such a terrible way and we're really excited about it."
While she's happy to be co-starring with her other half, the TV star is learning how challenging live theater can be. "It might be my first and last time onstage, so come buy tickets to see my last time I will ever grace a stage," she quipped. "The amount of dialogue -- I kept going, 'Whoa, when do you, like, cut? Like when? Where's the take two?'... I'm like, 'Why would people do this to themselves? This is crazy.'"
But before showtime, the proud parents have Matilda's first Halloween -- and let's just say the youngster will not lack costume options. "I am obviously very new at this," Cuoco acknowledged. "I ordered 10 costumes for her."
But there's one that reigns supreme. "I can't wait to get her in the Michelin Man costume," Cuoco said. "...It is, like, literally huge. She's just gonna look like a head in a giant body."
While the strike has stalled their work, the new mom and dad are savoring the quality time they get to share right now as a family of three. "We did a lot in two years. We met, we fell madly in love, we had this beautiful baby. We're very blessed and very lucky. It was a meant-to-be situation. The timing was right," she said. "...Because of this downtime, which has been so hard for so many, we've been able to experience with Matilda, you know, from every moment, so him and I have been here for every moment pretty much since the day she was born and that's special."
A limited run of Love Kills will take place at the Colony Theatre in Burbank from Nov. 15 through to Nov. 18. Tickets can be purchased here.
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