Kaley Cuoco’s Best & Worst Red Carpet Fashion Moments

When it comes to fashion, Kaley Cuoco has tried it all. She’s worn daring styles and basic pieces, glamorous dresses and awkward outfits. “The Big Bang Theory” star is no stranger to walking a red carpet throughout her career, but her looks have been hit and miss.

Cuoco has had a stunning style transformation over the years, but she’s still prone to fashion mishaps. Kaley Cuoco has been caught wearing outdated outfits as well as confusing looks or clothes that felt a little out of place for the occasion. The “Based on a True Story” star has gotten it right many times as well, nailing a sexy, shimmery red-carpet style. She’s even showcased some beautiful maternity fashion while expecting her second baby girl with fiancé Tom Pelphrey, just like the Hollywood stars who weren’t afraid to show off their baby bumps.

Because Cuoco has worn so many different looks, we had fun ranking her best and worst red-carpet fashion moments. From the cool to the cringe-worthy, Cuoco has been on both sides of the style coin. And that just makes her all the more iconic!

Kaley Cuoco looked like a Barbie doll come to life in a shimmery pink dress at the 23^rd Annual Critics’ Choice Awards in January 2018. The rose-gold gown featured panels of sheer pink mesh and dazzling pink sequins over the hips and skirt, with even more sequins on the bodice and sleeves. Cuoco looked gorgeous in this outfit with its plunging neckline and perfectly fitted design. Glinda the Good Witch herself couldn’t have worn this pink sparkly dress better!

If Kaley Cuoco was on her way to her high school’s homecoming, then her dress at the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in June 2013 would have made more sense. As it was, she looked awkward in a strapless, white lace gown with a full skirt. The midi length showed off her black pumps, which matched a random black lace panel on the top of her dress (like a modesty panel they may have pinned to a dress at her hypothetical school dance). 

Kaley Cuoco doesn’t typically go for straight sex appeal, but the daring dress she wore at the 52^nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2010 was an exception. Her black dress had a plunging neckline that cut nearly down to her navel that looked incredible. It was fitted around her hips and flowy down her legs, creating a curvy silhouette to die for. The minimal jewelry — just two bangles on her wrist and forearm — made the dress stand out in the best way.

Kaley Cuoco walked the 74^th Primetime Emmy Awards red carpet in September 2022 in a bubble-gum pink Dolce & Gabbana dress. The pink tulle gown had big floral appliques in various shades of pink that made it soft and feminine. However, the jarring cut of the dress, with its short hemline that was tacked with a floor-length piece in the back, looked awkward and forced. Mullet (or high-low) dresses like this were more popular circa 2011, so this one was a miss for us.

Kaley Cuoco was dazzling at the 61^st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2009. She looked stunning in a shimmery gold dress that was fitted around her body and looser through the bottom of the skirt. The gorgeous gown was covered in sequins, sparkling as Cuoco posed on the red carpet like a trophy. Her hair was curled around her shoulders, featuring blond highlights and dramatic dark lowlights underneath. The entire look was utterly glamorous and remains one of her most beautiful.

Kaley Cuoco was one of the worst-dressed stars at the 2025 US Open with this cringey look that left us scratching our heads. Did she think tennis was somehow synonymous with prep school? Why else would she wear this outfit — which consisted of a sweater vest over a button-down shirt and tie, a long plaid skirt, tall socks, and black loafers — to the event? It was frumpy and oversized and made even more confusing with her hair up in space buns.

Kaley Cuoco looked stunning in a pastel Marchesa gown complete with soft shades of pink and blue at the 23^rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in January 2017. The fitted top featured pretty petals and flower adornments over the sheer fabric that resembled mermaid scales, with a billowing bottom hem in a variety of colors. The low-cut top added a sexy twist to the striking look, which stood out in a sea of basic dresses.

Kaley Cuoco took the coordinating set trend to the extreme at a screening of “Role Play” in January 2024 — and the look did not pay off. She wore a Carolina Herrera shirt dress which was okay on top (if a little boring) and odd down below as the full skirt, complete with a train, was fashioned out of the exact same blue pinstripe fabric. The matching statement knot on her waist seemed like an attempt to make the ‘fit more formal, like a hybrid business-casual wedding dress. 

Kaley Cuoco was a vision in pink at the 78^th Primetime Emmy Awards in September 2026. Cuoco, who was pregnant with her second baby at the event, wore a pastel pink gown with pretty sleeves adorned in crystals, side cut-outs, and a long pink skirt that ended in a train with a feathery hemline. She held her bump with one hand and a matching pink clutch in the other as she smiled for photos on the red carpet. Cuoco was absolutely glowing in this maternity style!

Not every maternity look Kaley Cuoco wore while pregnant with her second baby was a win. When she attended The John Ritter Foundation Evening in September 2026, she wore a tight black shirt that showed off a sliver of her bump, which looked less intentional and more like she didn’t realize it was too small. She paired it with baggy barrel-legged black pants that swallowed her petite frame, and a black blazer with a huge pink flower broach — it could have squirted water out and not surprised us.