Kunal Nayyar acts as a real-life Secret Santa to many struggling with steep medical costs.
Nayyar famously starred as Raj Koothrappali on all 12 seasons of The Big Bang Theory from 2007 to 2019. During his time on the CBS sitcom, Nayyar landed in the top five of Forbes’ 2015 and 2018 highest-paid TV actors lists, earning $20 million and $23.5 million, respectively. Nayyar reportedly brought home $1 million per episode of the series.
In the years since the show’s end, Nayyar has used his earnings to benefit others. “Money has given me greater freedom and the greatest gift is the ability to give back, to change people’s lives,” he shared in an interview with The i Paper published earlier this month.
In addition to funding university scholarships for students from “disadvantaged backgrounds,” Nayyar and his wife, Neha Kapur, also “support animal charities” because of their love for dogs. “But what I really love to do is go on GoFundMe at night and just pay random families’ medical bills,” Nayyar added. “That’s my masked vigilante thing!”
He continued, “So, no, money doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like a grace from the universe.”
In the interview, Nayyar noted that donating money is not the only way people can help others who are less fortunate. “Right now people are not happy because we are all expecting someone else to be kind. We are expecting a president or a politician, some leader, to come and bring us world peace,” he told the outlet. “But there is no world peace if your neighbor comes to your door wanting some sugar for their tea, and you lock it against them and say ‘get away.’”
Sonja Flemming / ©CBS / courtesy Everett Collection
The importance of kindness is what Nayyar hopes audiences take away from his new holiday film, Christmas Karma, in which he plays a version of the classic Christmas character Ebenezer Scrooge, named Eshaan Sood.
“No one is going to come and change the world for you,” he stated. “You have to do it for yourself.”
Though The Big Bang Theory ended in 2019, the franchise has continued through the spinoffs Young Sheldon, which ran from 2017 to 2024, and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, which debuted on CBS last year. The franchise will continue to expand with the upcoming series Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which will premiere on HBO Max next year.
Though the new show centers around Kevin Sussman‘s titular Stuart, The Big Bang Theory cocreator Chuck Lorre hinted at the return of some OG cast members in an interview with TVLine back in July.
When asked by Lorre if they “hope” to see some Big Bang Theory characters in the new spinoff, the interviewer replied yes. Lorre teased in response, “You’re going to love this show.”
Christmas Karma, Available for digital rent/purchase, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Fandango at Home
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