Biography

Maulik Pancholy is an award-winning actor, author, and activist. He is best known for his comedic turns on television playing Jonathan on NBC’s critically acclaimed 30 Rock, Sanjay on Showtime’s Weeds, and Neal on NBC’s Whitney. He is the voice of Baljeet on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb and the title voice of Sanjay on Nickelodeon’s Sanjay and Craig. On Broadway, Maulik starred in Terrence McNally’s It’s Only A Play and in the Tony-nominated production of Bess Wohl’s Grand Horizons.

Maulik’s debut novel, The Best at It (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins), about a gay, Indian American boy coming into his own, was named a 2020 Stonewall Honor Book. His second novel, Nikhil Out Loud (Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins), won a 2023 Lambda Literary Award and was named one of Kirkus‘ Best Books of the Year. His debut YA rom-com, Will They, Won’t They (Kokila / Penguin), is slated for a Summer 2026 release.

A longtime advocate for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and LGBTQIA+ communities, Maulik was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on AAPIs. He is also a cofounder of the AAPI anti-bullying nonprofit ActToChange.org. which works to end bullying for AAPI youth and to foster a world where all young people can celebrate their identities.