Summary
- Kunal Nayyar was surprisingly fired from The Big Bang Theory after the pilot, leaving producers scrambling to save his role.
- Chuck Lorre fiercely fought to bring Kunal Nayyar back on the show, taking full responsibility for the decision.
- Nayyar shared his relief upon learning he wasn't being recast, thanks to Lorre's unwavering support and dedication.
From the failed original pilot that could have potentially tanked Jim Parsons' career if aired, to the unbelievably hectic casting process for the role of Penny, CBS's long-running sitcom, The Big Bang Theory, underwent a chaotic rollercoaster ride before it was finally picked up for series. As it turned out, the chaos didn't exactly subside when the show was greenlit.
Just months into its small screen debut, the show's producers were thrown a major curveball when CBS unilaterally decided to terminate Kunal Nayyar's contract. In this article, we'll delve into Nayyar's abrupt, albeit momentary, ousting from The Big Bang Theory, and why it left producers scrambling in a desperate attempt to salvage his job.
Kunal Nayyar Was Abruptly Fired From The Big Bang Theory After It Was Picked Up
After 12 seasons and 279 episodes, fans might find it inconceivable to imagine The Big Bang Theory without Kunal Nayyar as Rajesh Koothrappali. However, there was a time when Nayyar’s future on show was far from certain. Days after greenlighting the show, CBS invited the main cast and crew to the annual upfronts in New York city. Noticeably absent from the guest list, however, was Kunal Nayyar.
Nayyar shared his feelings about being excluded from the upfronts in his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’:
“CBS had flown all four cast members to New York for the upfronts except for me, and I thought, Huh. I wonder if I’ll just be recast. At that time, CBS had not picked up my option on the show. They had until June 30, and it was only May.”
As Chuck Lorre would later share in his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’, CBS had a pretty good reason for not flying Nayyar out to New York.
“When I landed in New York for the upfronts, I was informed that Kunal wasn’t there. I was like, “What do you mean he isn’t here? Why isn’t he here?” Apparently, while I was flying across the country, a CBS executive determined—unilaterally—that Kunal wasn’t right for the role and we would recast that part.”
The Big Bang Theory Producers Were Left Scrambling To Save Kunal Nayyar’s Job After He Was Fired
Suffice it to say, Chuck Lorre was apoplectic when he learned that the network had fired one of the show’s key cast members without consulting him.
“Well, I did not respond well. I was furious. They made this decision without consulting me. Plus, if you go back and watch the pilot, we didn’t really give him much of a chance in that episode. It wasn’t because Kunal didn’t deliver, it was because we still hadn’t quite landed on his character.”
The now 71-year-old TV producer immediately placed a call to Nayyar, assuring him that he would handle the situation.
“I got on the phone with Kunal—who was distraught—and I said, “You’re not here in New York, but that’s okay because you’re in the show!” I told him not to worry about it, we would get this figured out.”
In his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’, Nayyar recounted his conversation with Lorre, revealing just how hard the esteemed TV producer was scrambling to save his job.
“I remember that phone call vividly. Chuck said, “Look, I don’t know why you’re not here. I don’t know what’s going on, but this is your role. I’m going to talk to everyone because it’s bulls**t you’re not here. I’m going to make sure this gets done.”
Chuck Lorre Fought Fiercely To Bring Kunal Nayyar Back On The Big Bang Theory
After surviving a failed pilot and a rollercoaster casting process, Chuck Lorre was determined not to let what he considered a crucial element of the show's success slip through his grasp.
Per ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’, the 71-year-old producer embarked on an all-out crusade to salvage Kunal Nayyar's job.
“I called the execs at CBS and said, “You can’t fire him. I cast him, I believe in him, I’ll take responsibility for this decision. He’s my guy.” If I’m going to fail, I’m going to fail on my own choices. I’m not going to fail on someone else’s choices. I wasn’t about to recast that part because someone else made a decision. It seemed so unfair to cut the actor from the series based on what—the two lines where he whispered to Wolowitz?”
So determined was the producer to bring Nayyar back on board, that the entire crew was left in awe of his efforts.
“Chuck was steadfast in his support and said, “I’ll prove all of you wrong,”” The Big Bang Theory casting director Ken Miller said of Lorre in his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series’. “And boy, did he. He just stood his ground and said, “No, this is my guy.””
True to his word, Lorre succeeded in getting Nayyar reinstated just in time for production to begin. In his interview for ‘The Big Bang Theory: The Definitive Inside Story of the Epic Hit Series,’ Nayyar shared how relieved he felt upon learning that he wasn’t getting recast after all.
“[Chuck Lorre] really did fight for me. And I don’t know the inside story of how Chuck fought for me, but I do know on June 30, 2007, I was packing up my flat when my agent said she just got papers faxed to her to pick up my option. I remember falling on the floor in my apartment on my knees and weeping. Just weeping. Because it had been almost forty-five days of not knowing. And that’s a very difficult place to be in.”
