Big Bang Theory actor Kunal Nayyar famously played Dr. Raj Koothrappali throughout the show’s 12-season run. While Raj is usually awkward around women, he had one night of surprising romance with his neighbor, Penny (Kaley Cuoco), during the show’s season 4 finale, which aired in 2011. Many fans weren’t happy with the situation, mostly because Penny’s main love interest on the sitcom was Raj’s close friend, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki).
In an August 2026 episode of The Big Bang Theory Podcast, hosted by journalist Jessica Radloff, Nayyar revealed that he enjoyed the storyline, despite the controversy.
“It was amazing. I was like, this is great. Imagine the tension, you know, in the show going, and then I was like, what’s going to happen in season five? Are they going to date? Are they not? Obviously, we find out nothing ended up happening, but yeah, I was all for it,” said Nayyar during the podcast episode.
When Radloff mentioned that the Big Bang Theory showrunner, Steve Molaro, was upset about the storyline, Nayyar replied, “Come on. It’s just a TV show. It’s not real life.”
He also referenced that Raj and Penny were barely intimate, due to his character’s excitement.
“Nothing happened,” asserted the actor while recording the podcast episode.
Kunal Nayyar Revealed How He Felt About Raj’s Ending on ‘The Big Bang Theory’
While recording The Big Bang Theory Podcast episode, Nayyar shared his thoughts about how his character fared in the show’s 12th and final season, which ended in 2019. He noted Raj still didn’t have a successful romantic relationship, despite his many attempts.
“I think it was a perfect ending. I think there’s something so poignant,” said Nayyar.
Nayyar also clarified that his character may have eventually found love.
“By the way, who knows? He may have found it in that, remember ’cause Big Bang never ended. We ended. We stopped watching their lives, but their lives continued on. So he could be happily married or he could be dating two girls at the same time. We don’t know,” explained the actor.