Maulik Pancholy

Maulik Pancholy is an Indian-American actor, author, and activist best known for his scene-stealing comedic roles as Jonathan on 30 Rock (2006) and Sanjay on Weeds (2005), building a career that combines sharp humor with emotionally grounded performances across television and voice acting. He came out publicly as gay in November 2013, got engaged to his longtime partner Ryan Corvaia at the Taj Mahal in January 2014 after nine years of dating, and married him that September. Beyond acting, Pancholy has been an active advocate for LGBTQ+ and AAPI communities, serving from 2014 to 2017 on President Barack Obama's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and co-founding the anti-bullying organization Act To Change, which supports inclusive environments for young people. As an author, he has expanded queer representation in children's literature with middle-grade novels like The Best at It and Nikhil Out Loud, both of which center gay South Asian protagonists and explore themes of identity, belonging, and self-acceptance.