Kunal Nayyar can’t get over his Big Bang Theory wardrobe.
The actor had some harsh words to share regarding Raj Koothrappali’s outfits during an appearance on The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast.
“I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna have to wear this?'” Nayyar told host Jessica Radloff when asked to recall his first reaction to his character’s clothes. “I love fashion, to be honest. It’s one of my favorite things. And then I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna have to wear these clothes.'”
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Nayyar understands that the costumes for his astrophysicist character — which usually included some combination of a sweater vest, a button-down shirt with an oversized collar, and zip-up athletic jacket — were entirely fitting for Raj’s unfashionable sensibilities.
“It’s very apropos to the character, obviously,” he said. “If you watch what I wore that entire show, it’s ridiculously hideous, but also ridiculously good for the character.”
Since Nayyar cares about clothes in real life, however, he found dressing as Raj a little painful.
“Me, as Kunal, having to wear those clothes every day, those cargo pants — you know, it’s ruined for me,” he said. “I can’t wear clothes — like vintage Gucci sweaters or something that look like Raj’s sweaters that are in fashion now. I can’t wear that stuff.”
Nayyar played Raj in all 279 episodes of The Big Bang Theory, which ran for 12 seasons on CBS from 2007 to 2019. He reunited with his BBT costar, Melissa Rauch, on Night Court last year.
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“It was definitely me forcing my way to work with Melissa. I love her so much,” Nayyar told Entertainment Weekly of his Night Court guest appearance in 2024. “We have a closeness that cannot be spoken about. It’s an unspoken language of deep love and deep trust and deep connection that you can only experience if you go through a journey like that together for that long period of time. So our relationship is beyond close. It’s just deeper than that. I don’t think there’s a word that can describe how it is that we all feel about each other.”
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Nayyar will soon play Scrooge in the Christmas Carol adaptation Christmas Karma from Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha. The film will also star Eva Longoria, Hugh Bonneville, Billy Porter, and more. Nayyar is also set to appear in the upcoming thriller The Up and Comer and the crime comedy Patel.
