Out of the spotlight. The Big Bang Theory star Kunal Nayyar is stepping away from social media after the series finale.
“Bon Jour! from the South of 🇫🇷. As I start my holiday I will be taking a break from social media for a while (I may stick around a day or two because your comments make me smile:),” the actor, 38, announced on Instagram on Monday, June 10.
Before leaving, though, Nayyar wanted to deliver one final message to his 2.5 million followers.
“I used to think that the opposite of fear was courage. But I realized that the opposite of fear is actually love. Love is the opposite of fear,” he wrote. “So if you’re feeling anxious, or panicky, or fearful- just focus on being the most loving, compassionate, and empathetic human that lives inside of you. Today when you are out and about- smile at a stranger, hold open the door for someone, help a friend or a loved one in need. Because when you become the epitome of love, when you truly become love itself, fear can no longer exist. I promise you this. With all my heart… good bye for now. #namaste.”
The SAG Award nominee’s post came nearly a month after The Big Bang Theory’s finale aired. After 12 seasons, the Emmy-winning CBS sitcom ended on May 16 with two back-to-back episodes, the latter of which saw Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) winning a Nobel Prize and Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) announcing her pregnancy.
Although Nayyar’s character, Raj Koothrappali, had a less eventful fate (apart from a chance encounter with Sarah Michelle Gellar on a flight), he was happy with how the show ended.
“The writers have been so gentle and careful,” he told TVLine in May. “We’re saying goodbye to the show, but in the world but [the characters] wake up [the next] morning and go to work, eat Chinese food and hang out and navigate life. … I think it’s beautifully done.”