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Kunal Nayyar lives in a constant state of gratitude.
The “Big Bang Theory” actor – who portrayed Raj Koothrappali throughout the sitcom’s 12-season run – revealed a favorite pastime as he reflected on his own financial freedom.
“Money … has given me greater freedom and the greatest gift is the ability to give back, to change people’s lives,” he said in a December interview with “The i Paper.”
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Kunal Nayyar portrayed Raj Koothrappali throughout the 12-season run of “The Big Bang Theory.” (Sonja Flemming)
In addition to funding university scholarships for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with his “Christmas Karma” director Gurinder Chadha, the television star gives back to families in need.
“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!”
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He added, “So, no, money doesn’t feel like a burden. It feels like a grace from the universe.”
Kunal Nayyar attends the photocall for Netflix’s “Spaceman” at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on February 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (JC Olivera)
Nayyar also knows the value of community and the importance of helping others.
“Right now people are not happy, because we are all expecting someone else to be kind,” he told the outlet. “We are expecting a president or a politician, some leader, to come and bring us world peace.”
He added, “But there is no world peace if your neighbour comes to your door wanting some sugar for their tea, and you lock it against them and say ‘get away’.”
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Nayyar has a hard stance when it comes to politics: grace above all else.
“People experience racism and sexism, all kinds of isms in this life, because of how narrow-minded people are,” he said. “For me, whenever I face hardship, I try to approach it with compassion and understanding, because I don’t believe you can change someone’s mind by beating them in the mouth.”
Simon Helberg, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Jim Parsons, Mayim Bialik and Kunal Nayyar starred on the CBS sitcom. (Michael Yarish/CBS via AP)
He added, “I think that, with grace, you can help heal their inner child. Whatever is screaming out inside of them, you can hold that and say: I am here with you.”
During the peak of “Big Bang Theory” fame, Nayyar pulled in roughly $1 million per episode. At one point, he was one of the highest paid actors on television, according to Fortune.
While the “Spaceman” star amassed significant wealth and is worth a reported $45 million, he still faces challenging times. A one-word mantra provides Nayyar clarity.
Kunal Nayyar attends the World Premiere of “Christmas Karma” at The Curzon Mayfair on November 12, 2025 in London, England. (Dave Bennett)
“Sometimes, if I find myself really banging my head against something, and it’s just one of those days where everything’s going wrong, I just tell myself surrender,” he said. “Take a breath. Take a pause. Let’s just see what happens.”
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He added, “Our minds work in such a way where on a difficult day, it keeps going to the worst-case scenario.
“So in those moments, you have to really just look at your mind and say, stop. Take a breath. Surrender to this moment and let’s see what happens.”