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Kunal Nayyar revealed he secretly pays random families’ medical bills online, saying wealth gave him freedom to give back.
Kunal Nayyar quietly clears medical bills like a ‘masked vigilante’. (Photo Credit : X)
For more than a decade, he was the quirky genius who made audiences laugh with his awkward charm and impeccable comic timing. As astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali on the hit American sitcom The Big Bang Theory, Kunal Nayyar became a household name across continents. The show’s massive popularity also turned him into one of the highest-paid actors on television, reportedly earning nearly $1 million per episode during its peak run from 2007 to 2019.
His financial success was reflected in global rankings too. Forbes listed him among the highest-paid TV actors in 2015 and again in 2018, with reported earnings of $20 million and $23.5 million respectively. While the spotlight often focused on his pay cheques and fame, there has been another side to the actor that many are only now discovering.
Kunal Nayyar browses GoFundMe to pay medical bills
In a December 2025 interview with The i Paper, Nayyar opened up about his relationship with money and what it truly means to him. Contrary to what many might assume, he said 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.” Over the years, Nayyar and his wife, former beauty queen Neha Kapur, have quietly funded college scholarships for students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. Their philanthropic interests also extend to animal welfare.
“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!”
The actor made it clear that wealth, for him, is not a burden. “So, no, money doesn’t feel like a burden,” he added. He then reflected on the larger social climate, saying, “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, before adding a reminder inspired by Charles Dickens: “No one is going to come and change the world for you. You have to do it for yourself.”
February 17, 2026, 11:09 IST