Actress Kaley Cuoco is sharing an important acting lesson her late 8 Simple Rules… for Dating My Teenage Daughter co-star and on-screen father, John Ritter, taught her.
Cuoco spoke about Ritter, who died at the age of 54 in 2003, at a September 12 benefit for the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health inside Hollywood’s Sunset Room to TV Insider. During the event, Cuoco portrayed Janet Wood, originally played by Joyce DeWitt, in an episode reading from the 8th and final season of Three’s Company, which aired in 1983. As fans of Ritter are aware, the comedian famously played chef Jack Tripper in the beloved sitcom.
During the TV Insider interview, Cuoco shared that Ritter, who played the Hennessy patriarch, Paul Hennessy, on 8 Simple Rules, taught her to do whatever it takes to get the audience to laugh when doing comedic roles.
“The most important thing I learned from John was to do anything for the laugh. I live by that today. [Working with John] changed the course of my life and my career. It feels like yesterday,” said the Big Bang Theory star, who played one of Paul’s daughters, Bridget, in 8 Simple Rules.
Katey Sagal Discussed Filming ‘8 Simple Rules’ After John Ritter’s Death
TV Insider reported that Ritter died after he had an aortic dissection while 8 Simple Rules was in its second season. The series ended after its third season, which premiered in 2004.Katey Sagal, who played Paul’s wife, Cate, discussed the experience of losing Ritter in a February 2024 interview on The Howard Stern Show. She recalled that Ritter felt ill while the cast was shooting “a promo.” He eventually “went to his room,” and the rest of the show’s stars went home because they “were done for the day.” She said she was informed that Ritter had been hospitalized later that night.
“So we get to the hospital and within a couple of hours, he had passed. It was a shock,” said Sagal during the interview.
She also said she disagreed with how the show was handled after Ritter’s death.
“This is all the corporate decisions I don’t understand. But the nature of the show was it was a family show. Everyone was devastated. And it didn’t feel right to end it immediately. And it didn’t feel right to go on,” said Sagal. “Nothing felt right. So the powers that be made a decision to bring in James Garner, who played my father. And I think we took a month break and James Garner came back and they played it out as a real thing. Like the father in the family died.”
She said that the situation “didn’t make for very funny television.” However, the Married … With Children star said she believed the show should have sat in its sadness “for a little longer.”
“Then you have a single mother, raising the kids. And then the funny would come back eventually. They wanted right away funny. David Spade [who played Cate’s nephew] was right there within a couple of weeks after we were back,” said Sagal in the interview.
She also said that Ritter was “the best.”
“Like an angel guy. Amazing, soulful, wonderful, kind, loving man,” said Sagal.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
