Raj Koothrappali is just one of the beloved members of The Big Bang Theory. As an astrophysicist, Raj’s area of study is completely different than the rest of the gang’s but that’s not the only thing that separates him from his friends.
Among Leonard, Penny, Howard, Bernadette, Sheldon, and Amy, Raj is the only one who’s had long term troubles in his love life. Sure, he’s had his fair share of girlfriends and lovers but none with a positive outcome. Being #ForeverSingle has led Raj to seek comfort and affection from his friends, even if that means meddling in their lives with their respective partners.
WHEN HE MOVES IN WITH LEONARD AND PENNY
In the 10th season, Raj decides he’s mature enough to stop taking money from his parents. His father paid for his car, his rent, and his credit card, leaving Raj unaware of how the real world works.
To save money, he moves in with Leonard and Penny, and while it started off well (Penny really enjoyed having a shopping buddy), he overstayed his welcome. Leonard began to miss his alone time with Penny and felt like she was happier being with Raj than with him. This led to a few emotional conversations about boundaries (and led to Raj looking elsewhere to live).
AND THEN MOVES IN WITH HOWARD AND BERNADETTE (TWICE)
Raj has lived on and off with Howard and Bernadette over the years. To be fair, he’s not the worst roommate. He cleans up after himself, cooks dinner, does chores, and acts as a live-in homemaker.
However, his charisma is too much to handle for Howard and Bernadette and they begin to turn on each other. They both realized they were happier “half-assing” their marriage before Raj showed up. As time goes on, Raj moves in with Howard and Bernadette again when the couple has kids but things have cooled off by then.
RUINS AMY AND SHELDON’S SEX LIFE
It’s a running joke that Amy and Sheldon only sleep together on special occasions but by the final season, these two are really spicing it up.
However, back when sleeping together was an annual event, Sheldon was ready to spend the night together on her birthday but their activity was cut short when good ole Raj came to the door. Bernadette was in labor throughout the night and Raj was looking for company but he came knocking on the wrong door. Amy wasn’t about to have her evening day ruined by him!
WHEN HE HAD A CRUSH ON BERNADETTE (WHEN SHE WAS WITH HOWARD)
Oh, Raj. He’s the typical man who wants what he can’t have. When Howard began dating Bernadette, it was hard for him not to have a crush on her. She was beautiful, intelligent, caring, and she liked Howard — how could a Raj not have a chance with a girl who liked Howard!
However, he didn’t do a great job at keeping his crush a secret because word got out about his true feelings, which made things super awkward for Bernadette, Howard, and Raj. Especially since Howard was Raj’s best friend! After poems and daydreams about Bernie, she had to set him straight in a hard-love kind of way.
HE JOINED SHELDON AND AMY ON THEIR ANNIVERSARY DINNER
To be fair, this is more of Sheldon’s fault than Raj’s but Raj doesn’t help himself at all.
It was Sheldon and Amy’s anniversary and Sheldon was a dreading date night filled with everything he hates. And since the relationship agreement didn’t say friends couldn’t tag along on the date, he invited Raj to join them. But instead of Raj leaving as soon as he realized it was a special dinner, he ordered a bottle of champagne and three glasses, much to Amy’s chagrin…
WHEN HE FORCES PENNY TO TELL LEONARD SHE LOVES HIM
After Raj was kicked out from Sheldon and Amy’s date night, he decides to go to Leonard’s to hang out. Leonard, however, had a special night planned for Penny with her favorite snacks and a game on TV to watch.
As per usual though, Penny didn’t want to get emotional with Leonard, which prompted Raj to press Penny on her feelings for her boyfriend. And it ends exactly how fans would think: Raj’s persistence annoys Penny to the point where she kicks him out of their apartment.
HE TRIED TO GET IN BETWEEN PRIYA AND LEONARD
No one was more annoyed that Leonard was dating Priya than Raj. Siblings and best friends should be off-limits but Leonard couldn’t help himself with Raj’s sister. The two dated for quite some time, which unintentionally forced Raj to try and tear them apart. He made sure he was always at his apartment when Leonard was visiting (which never ended well for him) and did his best to make Leonard seem as unattractive as possible to Priya. After all, if Raj isn’t happy, can anyone be happy?
HE WENT BEHIND HOWARD AND BERNADETTE’S BACKS AND LOOK AT THEIR BABY’S GENDER
When Howard and Bernadette found out they were having a baby, Raj felt like he was part of the wild parenting ride. As Howard’s best friend, he took it upon himself to prepare the couple for parenthood but when Howard and Bernadette decided to keep the gender a surprise, Raj couldn’t help himself and took a peek at the doctor’s folder, learning about the baby’s gender before Howard and Bernadette.
His knowledge of such an intimate thing drove Howard and Bernadette nuts, especially after they found out he told Stuart without their permission.
HE INTERRUPTED PENNY AND LEONARD IN THE BEDROOM
Back in the fourth season (when Penny and Amy were just beginning their friendship), the gang heads to a science conference where they would spend the night. With Amy biting in her sleep, Penny ends up sleeping in Leonard’s bed. Even though they were just friends, things became romantic between the two. But in a blink of an eye, Raj came barging in. He had nowhere else to go and wanted to watch Bridget Jones Diary with the former couple, causing Leonard and Penny to stop what they were doing.
RAJ’S SPEECH AT HOWARD’S BACHELOR PARTY ALMOST RUINED THE WEDDING
To celebrate Howard and his big day with Bernadette, Raj planned a low-key bachelor party with drinks and good food. But after having one too many grasshoppers, Raj leaked some sensitive information; like the fact that the two men had a threesome with a woman from Comic-Con and that Howard lost his virginity to his cousin… Raj didn’t mean for those secrets to be revealed but Wil Wheaton filmed the whole thing and posted it online, where Bernadette inevitably learned about Howard’s concerning past.
