Kaley Cuoco may have planned the perfect birthday celebration for her fiancé, actor Tom Pelphrey. But it was their 2-year-old daughter Matilda who turned the whole event into her moment, and it was an adorable one. All thanks to one very cute pony ride, too!
On July 28, Cuoco, 39, took to Instagram to share a sweet photo carousel in honor of Pelphrey’s 43rd birthday. “Happy happy birthday to our favorite ♌️! @tommypelphrey you are the greatest there is and I love you more than mere words could describe!” she captioned the adorable post full of family photos and celebrations.
But while fans appreciated the birthday love, all eyes were on little Matilda. Yes, she appeared in more than a third of the photos, grinning from ear to ear and stealing every frame. Cute!
Matilda’s Pony Moment
One standout photo shows Pelphrey walking alongside Matilda as she rides a pony, decked out in a pale pink helmet while holding onto her dad’s hand. Although she didn’t look quite as enthusiastic as her mom usually does, it was still a picture to remember. Especially since this little baby human is tiny compared to the pony, who is also said to be tiny.
According to “The Big Bang Theory” star, Matilda has been taking weekly riding lessons since she was about a year and a half old.
“Saturday riding lesson with [trainer] @farinaeichhorn and her perfect pony, Skye,” Cuoco shared back in September 2024 via Instagram Stories. She also revealed they had a custom saddle made for Matilda, saying, “It actually props her up. And she just sits in that thing and walks around and it is crazy.”
Clearly, the toddler is taking after her equestrian roots. (Let’s not forget Cuoco was married to horse pro Karl Cook and still shares a love for all things pony.)
The birthday tribute also included heart-melting moments of Pelphrey and Matilda playing on the floor, snuggling, and enjoying the outdoors. In one black-and-white snap, the “Outer Range” star beams as he hugs Matilda, who looks just as joyful.
Cuoco’s Family & Her Fiancé
Cuoco and Pelphrey have been together since 2022. It definitely was a whirlwind romance, after Cuoco had previously announced she was taking a small break from dating after her split with Cook.
The two met at a Netflix event (he starred in “Ozark” at that time) after being introduced by Cuoco’s manager. “It was love at first sight,” she told Entertainment Tonight later that year. The couple welcomed Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey on March 30, 2023, and got engaged in August 2024. Again, thus despite Cuoco’s earlier insistence she’d never marry again.
“I believe in love because I’ve had incredible relationships,” she told Glamour in 2022. “But I will never get married again. Absolutely not.” (Never say never, Kaley.)
Matilda may be the “light of our lives,” as Cuoco recently captioned an Instagram birthday video, but she’s also a daddy’s girl through and through. “Whenever he walks in the room, she only wants to be with him,” Cuoco told People. “She finds me hilarious, but he is definitely her person.”
Back to Work!
As for Cuoco herself, she’s not just playing mom, she’s back to work, too. After wrapping Season 2 of “Based on a True Story” on Peacock and starring in “The Flight Attendant,” where she starred and produced, Cuoco is set to star in a suspense drama. She will join the long-awaited thriller, “Vanished,” alongside “Daisy Jones & The Six’s” lead man, Sam Claflin. The thriller, set in Paris and Marseille, follows her character as she gets caught up in a mystery after her boyfriend disappears mid-vacation.
Even with TV roles, international shoots, and birthday tributes, Cuoco’s family life is clearly the center of it all. And well, if Matilda keeps up these scene-stealing moments, she might just need her own talent agent soon!
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Kaley Cuoco’s Daughter Matilda Steals The Spotlight at Tom Pelphrey’s Birthday [PHOTOS]