Although “The Big Bang Theory” premiered in 2007, it took a few seasons for audiences to latch on to the brainy sitcom. After initial mixed reviews, the series hit its stride and became an awards-season staple, in part due to Mayim Bialik joining as neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler at the end of Season 3.

Fans agree that the painting isn’t that bad

When Amy gifts Penny a massive portrait of the two of them in Season 5, Episode 17, “The Rothman Disintegration,” Penny’s discomfort is palpable. She and Bernadette are quick to lay into the unflattering painting. “[It’s] so ugly,” they assert. Adds Bernadette, “Do you like pictures of yourself where you look like a man?”

Kaley Cuoco was partial to another piece of on-set artwork

While the giant gag painting made only a couple of appearances after Season 5, other prints and tchotchkes filled the apartments on “The Big Bang Theory,” making them some of the most fun and intricate sets on primetime. “It’s like a theme park walking onstage,” Kaley Cuoco told CNN. “I like how the prop department lines the hallways with all the things we’ve used.”

Mayim Bialik, meanwhile, appealed to the sitcom’s intense fandom when she posted an Instagram selfie with the famous painting in October 2020. While Bialik didn’t reveal her true feelings about the painting, she did use it as a backdrop to remind fans to vote in the 2020 election. “Visited some old friends today at WB!” reads the caption, indicating that at the end of the day, neither Bialik nor Cuoco wanted the 12-square-foot piece of art in their home.