How Much Did Kunal Nayyar Really Make For Every Big Bang Theory Episode?
Starring as the lovable astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali in nearly every episode of "The Big Bang Theory" (via IMDb), Kunal Nayyar made a name for himself as one of the core five members of the CBS sitcom. Nayyar became indistinguishable from his character, thanks to the long run of the series — 12 seasons to be exact — but has since found success in other ventures after the show came to an end in 2019.
The actor is currently working on a project for AppleTV+ with the incomparable Uma Thurman. The series, titled "Suspicion," is a thriller that sees Thurman play a prominent businesswoman whose son is kidnapped (via Deadline). Since his departure from "The Big Bang Theory," Nayyar also played a suspected killer in the Netflix series "Criminal: UK" — far from the nerdy Raj he portrayed for so long (via Independent).
But thanks to his role in "The Big Bang Theory," Nayyar has gone on to amass an estimated net worth of around $45 million (via Celebrity Net Worth). So how much of that fortune is attributed to the CBS hit, and what was the actor paid for every episode?
Kunal Nayyar had a starting salary of $45,000 per episode, which increased exponentially
As one of the main stars of the series, Kunal Nayyar pocketed quite a large salary during his time on "The Big Bang Theory." According to Screen Rant, the actor had a starting salary of $45,000 per episode. This was reportedly the same as his co-star Simon Helberg, and both would end up earning around $150,000 an episode during the show's second season. This increased even more during the later seasons, finally settling at a whopping $600,000 per episode.
This rate differs slightly from Celebrity Net Worth's estimation, which puts Nayyar's final salary at $800,000 per episode. Regardless, Nayyar — and Helberg (via Celebrity Net Worth) — were earning more than a comfortable amount during the show's run.
Maybe not as much as their other co-stars, though. Jim Parsons became the highest paid TV actor in the world in 2017, according to Forbes, earning $1.2 million per episode toward the end of the series. In comparison, Johnny Galecki reportedly ended up earning $1 million per episode (via Screen Rant), and Kaley Cuoco finished the show earning $900,000 per episode.