Kaley Cuoco made an emotional appearance Saturday night at the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health’s annual Evening From the Heart Gala, paying tribute to John Ritter, the late actor who played her father on “8 Simple Rules.”
Cuoco was starring as Ritter’s onscreen daughter on the sitcom in 2003 when he suffered a fatal thoracic aortic dissection — a tearing of the heart’s main artery — while on set. Speaking at the gala, she became visibly emotional as she reflected on Ritter’s death and the lasting impact he had on her life and career.
“I always cry when I talk about him,” Cuoco said, choking up.
Ritter appeared in the first season of “8 Simple Rules” and in three episodes of the show’s second season before his death at age 54. For Cuoco, who was 16 when she first met him, the loss went far beyond the end of a working relationship.
“When he passed away, I don’t want to get dramatic, but I can truly say that was one of the worst days of my life,” she said. “I remember having to remind myself that I wasn’t his kid. I remember for weeks after, I was like, ‘Gosh, I feel like I lost my dad.’”
Cuoco, who is pregnant with her and fiancé Tom Pelphrey’s second child, also brought humor to the stage as she looked back on her first encounter with the Emmy-winning Ritter at an “8 Simple Rules” table read.
She recalled being 16 and determined to make an impression, joking that she was playing the “hot girl before I was knocked up,” while pointing to her belly. Cuoco said she wore what she described as “the hottest outfit” she could find for the table read, adding, “Young and cool and hot, so I wore like the hottest outfit I could ever find for this table read, like nothing. It had these little spaghetti straps, just ridiculous.”
When Ritter approached her, Cuoco introduced herself. His response, she said, immediately became a memory she would never forget.
“He gives me a big hug, and he looks at me, and he takes off his jacket, and he puts it on me and says, ‘Don’t ever wear that again,’” Cuoco said, smiling. “It was the best.”
Cuoco said Ritter’s humor and leadership on set remained a model for her after “8 Simple Rules.”
“He was so funny,” she said. “I took all that with me in life and the jobs I had after. He always has been the north star in my career and somebody who I adore.”
A Night Built Around Ritter’s Legacy
The Evening From the Heart Gala was hosted by Ritter’s widow, Amy Yasbeck, and his son, Tyson Ritter. The event also included a reunion tied to the sitcom “Wings,” with Yasbeck joining co-stars Tim Daly, Steve Webber and Tony Shalhoub for a Q&A moderated by Marc Malkin.
Writer and producer Steve Levitan also participated in the panel, recalling that “Wings” was his first writing job in Hollywood.
The evening connected several chapters of television history. Ritter’s “Three’s Company” co-star Joyce DeWitt made a surprise appearance and announced a nationwide tour of “Three’s Company” table reads, with proceeds set to benefit the foundation.
Tyson Ritter also said the organization will host a fundraising dinner in October at the original Brady Bunch house in Los Angeles, with Maureen McCormick serving as host.
Photos from the gala included Tyler Ritter, Amy Yasbeck, Melanie Lynskey and Jason Ritter; Marc Malkin with Tony Shalhoub, Steven Weber, Amy Yasbeck and Tim Daly; Joyce DeWitt; Amy Davidson with Kaley Cuoco; Amy Yasbeck with Maureen McCormick; Kaley Cuoco with Briana Cuoco; and Spencer Garrett.
The Foundation’s Medical Message
The John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health also highlighted the stakes behind its work. According to the organization, 20,000 people suffer an aortic dissection every year in the United States, and up to 50% of those people lose their lives. The foundation says that with prompt diagnosis and treatment, 80% of people could survive.
More information is available at johnritterfoundation.org.