‘The Big Bang Theory’ Kaley Cuoco Spotted Giving Jim Parsons The Finger Salute: Is There Trouble On The Set?

The Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco was recently spotted giving co-star Jim Parsons the so-called “One Finger Salute,” also known as “The Bird” or “The Middle Finger,” on the set of the popular sitcom. Does that mean the two stars are at each others’ throats, raising the specter of tension on the set of the popular CBS sitcom?

As it turns out, it was all in good fun — mostly. As Yahoo News reports, Kaley, ever the fan of social media, chose to give fans a behind-the-scenes peek at the production of The Big Bang Theory, and posted a cute snapshot on Instagram. Oddly enough, for reasons that aren’t clear, Kaley chooses to use the name “Norman Cook” for her Instagram account.

In the photo, Kaley, seated in her alter ego Penny’s usual spot on the couch (which is most certainly not Sheldon’s famed “spot”), looks away from the camera, in apparent disgust, while shooting the bird to Jim. To her right is a man in a suit, The Big Bang Theory director Mark Cendrowski, looks at the camera with a smile on his face. Jim Parsons is looking at the camera, showing a look that appears somewhere between disgust and bemusement.

You can see the actual photo here.

Parsons, for his part, left a response that could be taken either way.

“Boy, you try to help a gal out with some helpful direction and this is the thanks you get. I’ll leave it to Mark — the actual director — from now on. Lesson learned, @normancook.”

So does that mean there’s trouble on the set of TV’s highest-rated sitcom? Probably not. If there were, it would almost certainly be all over the Hollywood press.

Still, a TV set is not unlike any workplace, where long hours and difficult work can lead to friction between the workers (in the case, the show’s cast). What’s more, some TV shows have been undone by cast members’ inability to get along with one another – generally because one specific cast member can most charitably be described as “difficult to work with.” Examples include Charlie Sheen of Two and a Half Men and T.R. Knight of Grey’s Anatomy. In both of those cases, their characters were killed off rather than have the rest of the cast and crew subjected to their antics, according to the New York Post.

The Big Bang Theory airs Mondays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.

[Featured Image by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP Images]