“The Big Bang Theory” Star Kunal Nayyar Reveals the Generous Thing He Does for ‘Random’ Strangers
- - “The Big Bang Theory” Star Kunal Nayyar Reveals the Generous Thing He Does for ‘Random’ Strangers
Erin ClackDecember 22, 2025 at 1:30 AM
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Kunal Nayyar -
The Big Bang Theory alum Kunal Nayyar revealed the generous thing he does for "random" strangers
The actor also shared how money has given him "greater freedom and the greatest gift"
Nayyar starred as astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory, which aired on CBS from 2007 to 2019
Kunal Nayyar is sharing how money has given him "the greatest gift," allowing him to perform generous acts of kindness for "random" strangers.
The 44-year-old opened up in a new interview about being one of the world's highest-paid TV actors amid the height of The Big Bang Theory's success, telling The i Paper that having "wealth" doesn't "weigh heavy" on him.
Instead, he explained to the U.K. outlet, "money has given me greater freedom and the greatest gift is the ability to give back, to change people’s lives.”
Nayyar and his wife, Neha Kapur, fund college scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“We also support animal charities because we love dogs," Nayyar said. "But what I really love to do is go on GoFundMe at night and just pay random families’ medical bills. That’s my masked vigilante thing!”
“So, no, money doesn’t feel like a burden," added the actor, who stars as Mr. Sood, a modern-day Scrooge, in a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol called Christmas Karma. "It feels like a grace from the universe.”
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Kunal Nayyar in 'The Big Bang Theory' on CBS
Nayyar — who played astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali in The Big Bang Theory — was eventually earning an estimated $1 million per episode amid the hit CBS comedy series' run from 2007 to 2019. He was ranked by Forbes as one of the highest-paid TV actors in both 2015 and 2018 (with earnings of $20 million and $23.5 million, respectively).
While Nayyar acknowledged that he is in a fortunate position to give back in such a meaningful way, he told The i Paper that everyone can find a way to help and lift up others.
“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 said.
“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,’ ” he continued, citing a lesson from Dickens' classic holiday tale: “No one is going to come and change the world for you. You have to do it for yourself."
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Kunal Nayyar at the world premiere of 'Christmas Karma' in London on Nov. 12, 2025
Elsewhere during his conversation with The i Paper, Nayyar — who was born in London and raised in India from the age of 3 — spoke about celebrating Christmas while living in New Delhi.
“We were an anglicised family,” he said. “I went to an English-speaking school where we studied Dickens and Shakespeare. So at Christmas we had a skinny fake tree — you’re not getting real Christmas trees in India — and a skinny Indian uncle with a big belly dressed as Father Christmas.”
His family also celebrated Hindu Diwali and Muslim Eid.
“The beauty of being Indian is celebrating all religions. It’s our spiritual nature to allow that there is space for all of us,” Nayyar told the outlet.
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Kunal Nayyar in 'Christmas Karma' (2025)
Released on Nov. 14, Christmas Karma also stars Hugh Bonneville, Eva Longoria, Billy Porter and Boy George. In the movie, Nayyar's Mr. Sood and his family are among the 80,000 Asians forced out of Uganda in 1972 by Idi Amin. His character's obsession with becoming successful and making money is sparked by a desperate need for security and acceptance.
He told The i Paper that he was ultimately drawn to the role because "this film is so much bigger than me wanting to play a character; this is a story about a marginalized community that needs to be told.
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He added: "We are trying to shine a light on a horrific historical event through a children’s story here. We are trying to change the world."
Christmas Karma is available to rent or buy now.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
