Every Romantic Relationship Raj Had In The Big Bang Theory Ranked (P1)
Raj had quite a few relationships on The Big Bang Theory and even a few promising girlfriends.- despite his famed inability to talk to women.
Which Raj girlfriend on The Big Bang Theory was most suited for Kunal Nayyar’s astrophysicist is a difficult question, since he had surprisingly many despite being unable to talk to women at the start of the show. At the end of The Big Bang Theory’s 12 seasons, all the couples had such promising futures. Amy and Sheldon had just won a Nobel Prize, Penny and Leonard were expecting, Bernadette and Howard were done creating their little family. Raj, however, was a different story, with the closest he got to a happily ever being when he invited Sarah Michelle Gellar as a date to the Nobel Prize ceremony.
Relationships have never been Raj’s strong point, which is surprising because, out of all the male characters Raj is by far the most romantic and endearing — on the surface, at least. He’s always loved love and yet his relationships all blew up in flames. Maybe Raj wasn’t the catch so many viewers saw him to be. After all, he was extremely clingy, obsessive, and was a little bit too comfortable showing his dog physical affection. Despite this, Raj Koothrappali had many girlfriends throughout TBBT. Sadly, Raj never got his happily ever after by the end of The Big Bang Theory — despite having no shortage of chances.
14
Missy (Courtney Henggeler)
Raj’s Unrequited Crush On Sheldon’s Sister
While she wasn’t technically one of the Raj girlfriend Big Bang Theory characters, Sheldon’s twin sister Missy Cooper was a mild love interest for the astrophysicist. Missy makes her first appearance on the show in season 1, episode 15, “The Porkchop Indeterminacy,” and Sheldon seems to have no idea that each of his friends has fallen hard for her.
Raj ends up taking an experimental medication to help him get over his anxiety over talking to women. He finally gets a chance to ask out Missy, who calls him a “cutie-pie,” but his medication begins to wear off and he leaves dejected.
13
Bernadette (Melissa Rauch)
Thankfully Raj Never Dates Howard’s Wife
Out of all the Raj girlfriend Big Bang Theory characters, Raj’s crush on Bernadette was by far the weirdest. Raj spends the entirety of The Big Bang Theory season 4 with an unrequited crush on Bernadette. He had Bollywood-style song and dance fantasies, plenty of daydreams, and even wrote poems about his feelings for Bernadette.
Of course, this is hugely awkward, as Bernadette was with his best friend Howard. Howard does find out about Raj’s feelings, as does Bernadette. Thankfully, she doesn’t become one of Raj’s girlfriends, and the entire arc culminates with Bernadette giving Raj a rather stern talking-to.
12
Penny (Kaley Cuoco)
Raj And Penny Hooking Up Was A Big Bang Theory Fakeout
Another series regular who technically never becomes a Raj girlfriend in Big Bang Theory but still has a romantic link to him is Penny. Penny ends up having a one-night stand with Raj in the season 4 finale — sort of. It’s no secret that all the guys, save for Sheldon, have something of a crush on Penny. Of course, she and Leonard end up being endgame, but there is a slight bump in the road when it appears she and Raj had a fling.
With Leonard dating Raj’s sister Priya, neither Raj nor Penny seems to be all too happy with them, and a night of too much wine ends up seeing the pair romantically entangled. The guilt both feel becomes a plot-arc throughout much of The Big Bang Theory, and many were relieved when it emerged that — despite waking up together — they never actually did the deed.
11
Elizabeth (Judy Greer)
Raj Allows Himself To Be Seduced
The next Big Bang Theory Raj girlfriend is Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton. Played by TV and film actress Judy Greer, Dr. Plimpton is Sheldon’s personal guest as she’s a cosmological physicist being considered for a position at the California Institute of Technology. Sheldon and Leonard are taken by her intellect, as she wrote a book both of them consider to be groundbreaking, but she also reveals herself to be a nymphomaniac.
She successfully seduces Leonard, and then tries to rope Howard and Raj into a four-way with them. Frightened, Raj creates an escape plan for Leonard and Howard, but then gives in to Dr. Plimpton’s advances once they leave.
10
Emily (Katie Leclerc)
The Girlfriend Who Used Raj For His Money
Raj was involved with two different Emilys throughout The Big Bang Theory. He dated this Emily in season 5 after being introduced by Penny. Emily and Penny met at the gym and what makes her so special to Raj is that she’s deaf. Due to Raj’s selective mutism at this time, dating someone who couldn’t actually hear him helped him open up and relax. Sadly, Raj went too hard too early, and basically told her he loved her immediately.