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Indian-origin actor, starred in Emmy-winning sitcom and ‘one of the world’s highest-paid TV actors,’ secretly pays strangers’ medical bills
Kunal Nayyar and his wife, former Miss India Neha Kapur, have quietly financed college scholarships for students from underprivileged backgrounds and supported animal-welfare causes.
Forbes ranked the actor among the highest-paid television actors in both 2015 and 2018
For years, audiences knew him as the shy yet lovable scientist whose social awkwardness delivered some of the funniest moments on television. Playing Raj Koothrappali in the hugely popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory turned Kunal Nayyar into a global star and one of TV’s top earners at the height of the show’s success.
His paydays reflected that fame. Forbes ranked him among the highest-paid television actors in both 2015 and 2018, estimating his earnings at $20 million and $23.5 million, respectively. Yet, away from the headlines, the actor says his relationship with money has always been surprisingly simple.
Speaking to The i Paper in December 2025, Nayyar said wealth has never felt like a weight on his shoulders. Instead, he views it as an opportunity. As he put it, “Money has given me greater freedom and the greatest gift is the ability to give back, to change people’s lives.”
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Together with his wife, former Miss India Neha Kapur, he has quietly financed college scholarships for students from underprivileged backgrounds and supported animal-welfare causes. He also shared a more personal habit, one he does privately and without publicity.
“We also support animal charities because we love dogs,” he said, adding with a laugh, “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!”
For Nayyar, money itself isn’t the issue; attitude is. “So, no, money doesn’t feel like a burden,” he explained, before reflecting on kindness in everyday life. People often expect change to come from leaders, he noted, but small acts matter more.
“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 said. Echoing a sentiment inspired by Charles Dickens, he added that real change begins with individuals: no one else is coming to fix the world; we have to start ourselves.
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