Mindy Kaling

Vera Mindy Chokalingam was born June 24, 1979, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to father Avudaiappan Chokalingam and mother Swati Chokalingam (née Roy-Sircar).{{cite news|url=https://parade.com/167806/shawnamalcom/thoroughly-modern-mindy-kalings-house-rules|title=Thoroughly Modern Mindy Kaling|date=September 28, 2013|access-date=August 15, 2017|first=Shawna|last=Malcolm|work=Parade|archive-date=April 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417081001/http://parade.com/167806/shawnamalcom/thoroughly-modern-mindy-kalings-house-rules|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/09/24/cambridge-native-mindy-kaling-was-inspired-mother-for-new-passion-project/L1g1S1TFZdYNETPGrsIddM/story.html|title=Mindy Kaling's mother inspired new TV 'Project'|last=Rodman|first=Sarah|date=September 25, 2012|work=Boston Globe|access-date=March 8, 2014|archive-date=March 9, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140309053053/http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2012/09/24/cambridge-native-mindy-kaling-was-inspired-mother-for-new-passion-project/L1g1S1TFZdYNETPGrsIddM/story.html|url-status=live}} She has an elder brother, Vijay Chokal-Ingam.{{Cite web|last=Riley|first=Naomi Schaefer|date=October 15, 2016|title=Mindy Kaling's family feud exposes America's cultural divide|url=https://nypost.com/2016/10/15/mindy-kalings-family-feud-exposes-americas-cultural-divide/|access-date=February 14, 2022|website=New York Post}}{{Cite web|last=Nguyen|first=Michael D.|title=Mindy Kaling's Brother: I Posed As Black to Get Into Med School|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/mindy-kalings-brother-i-posed-black-get-med-school-n337026|access-date=February 14, 2022|website=www.nbcnews.com|date=April 7, 2015 |language=en}} The family immigrated to the United States in 1979, the same year Kaling was born. Kaling's mother died of pancreatic cancer in 2012.{{cite news|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?pid=155735053|title=Swati Chokalingam M.D.: Obituary|date=February 2, 2012|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=January 28, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KM8B-CQJ|title=Swati Chokalingam – United States Social Security Death Index|publisher=FamilySearch|access-date=January 28, 2015}}{{cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/mindy-kaling-my-late-mom-was-the-love-of-my-life/|title=Mindy Kaling: My Late Mom 'Was the Love of My Life'|last=Cosgrove Baylis|first=Shelia|date=November 12, 2013|work=People|access-date=February 26, 2014}}

Kaling has said she has never been called Vera, her first name, but has been referred to as Mindy since her mother was pregnant with her while her parents were living in Bengal. They were already planning to move to the United States and wanted, Kaling said, a "cute American name" for their daughter, and liked the name Mindy from the show Mork & Mindy.

Kaling graduated from Buckingham Browne & Nichols in 1997. The following year, she entered Dartmouth College, where she was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Dog Day Players and a cappella group The Rockapellas, and wrote for the Dartmouth Jack-O-Lantern, the college's humor magazine.{{cite news|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mindy-kaling-dartmouth-comic-strips_n_4598077|title=Here Are Mindy Kaling's Dartmouth Comic Strips|date=January 14, 2014|work=The Huffington Post|access-date=October 23, 2023|archive-date=November 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109002323/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mindy-kaling-dartmouth-comic-strips_n_4598077|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://sites.dartmouth.edu/jacko/about-us/jack-o-lantern-history/|title=Jack-O-Lantern History|work=The DartmouthJack-O-Lantern|date=April 3, 2011 |access-date=October 23, 2023}} Kaling graduated from Dartmouth in 2001{{cite news|url=http://thedartmouth.com/2001/06/10/list-of-graduates|title=List of Graduates|date=June 10, 2001|work=The Dartmouth|quote=As "Vera Chokalingam"|last1=Dartmouth Staff|access-date=January 28, 2015|archive-date=May 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529093906/http://thedartmouth.com/2001/06/10/list-of-graduates/|url-status=dead}} with a bachelor's degree in playwriting.{{cite web|url=http://www.thedartmouth.com/2006/05/23/kaling-01-embarks-on-acting-writing-career-for-the-office|title=Kaling '01 embarks on acting, writing career for 'The Office'|date=May 23, 2006|work=The Dartmouth|last1=Swiss|first1=Zach|access-date=January 28, 2015|archive-date=January 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129103245/http://www.thedartmouth.com/2006/05/23/kaling-01-embarks-on-acting-writing-career-for-the-office/|url-status=dead}} She lists the comedy series Dr. Katz, Saturday Night Live, Frasier and Cheers as early influences on her comedy.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/10/magazine/mindy-kaling-late-night-diversity-comedy.html,%20https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/10/magazine/mindy-kaling-late-night-diversity-comedy.html|title=Mindy Kaling on Not Being the Long-Suffering Indian Woman|last=Marchese|first=David|date=June 10, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 16, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}

While a 19-year-old sophomore at Dartmouth, Kaling was an intern on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7f-R5ipL30 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211218/e7f-R5ipL30 |archive-date=December 18, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Mindy Kaling Was A Conan Intern – CONAN on TBS|date=November 7, 2012|publisher=Late Night with Conan O'Brien YouTube channel|format=Video interview|last1=O'Brien|first1=Conan|access-date=January 28, 2015}}{{cbignore}} She has said that she never saw a family like hers on TV, which gave her a dual perspective she uses in her writing.{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102572670|title=On TV, Immigrants' Kids Mine Cultural Convergence|author-link=Neda Ulaby|last=Ulaby|first=Neda|date=February 4, 2009|publisher=NPR|work=Morning Edition|access-date=February 25, 2013}} She thinks the "everyone against me" mentality is what she learned as a child of immigrants. She named her Mindy Project character Mindy Lahiri after author Jhumpa Lahiri.{{cite news|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/01/authors-share-their-all-time-favorite-summer-reads/slide/mindy-kaling/|title=Authors share their all-time favorite summer reads|date=June 28, 2013|access-date=February 20, 2015|magazine=Time|first=Mindy|last=Kaling|archive-date=February 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150220192704/http://entertainment.time.com/2013/07/01/authors-share-their-all-time-favorite-summer-reads/slide/mindy-kaling/|url-status=live}} After college, she moved to Brooklyn, New York. She said one of her worst job experiences was as a production assistant for three months on the Crossing Over With John Edward psychic show.{{cite web|url=http://theoffice-us.livejournal.com/1322768.html|title=Mindy Kaling interview in Improper Bostonian|last=Soroff|first=Jonathan|work=The Improper Bostonian|access-date=September 23, 2011}} She described it as "depressing."{{cite news|url=http://www.avclub.com/article/mindy-kaling-14079|title=Mindy Kaling – Interview| date=April 4, 2007|work=The A.V. Club|last1=Phipps|first1=Keith|access-date=January 28, 2015}} During this same time, she performed stand-up comedy.

Kaling devised her stage name after discovering while doing stand-up comedy that emcees would have trouble pronouncing her last name, Chokalingam, and sometimes made jokes about it. She toured solo and with Craig Robinson, who was later a fellow cast member of The Office.{{cite web |last1=Maron |first1=Marc |date=March 12, 2012 |title=Episode 261 – Mindy Kaling |url=http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_261_-_mindy_kaling |access-date=January 29, 2015 |publisher=WTFPod.com |format=Audio podcast}} In August 2002, she portrayed Ben Affleck in an off-Broadway play called Matt & Ben,{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9b07e2d81031f931a2575bc0a9659c8b63|title=Theater Review; Bad Will Hunting, Armed With Venom Darts|date=August 12, 2003|work=The New York Times| last1= Weber| first1= Bruce| access-date= January 28, 2015}} which she co-wrote with her best friend from college, Brenda Withers, who played Matt Damon. Time magazine named it one of their "Top Ten Theatrical Events of The Year", and it was "a surprise hit" at the 2002 New York International Fringe Festival.

Initially, Withers and Kaling had, "for their own entertainment, mockingly pretended to be the best friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck; that pretending spawned Matt & Ben, the goofy play that reimagined how Damon and Affleck came to write the movie Good Will Hunting." Kaling wrote a blog, Things I've Bought That I Love, which reemerged on her website on September 29, 2011.{{cite web|url=http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com/ongoing-concerns| title= Ongoing Concerns| date= January 27, 2012|publisher=The Concerns of Mindy Kaling| format= Blog| last1= Kaling| first1= Mindy| access-date=January 28, 2015|url-status=usurped| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306085304/http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com/ongoing-concerns| archive-date= March 6, 2012}} She wrote it under the name Mindy Ephron, "a name Kaling chose because she was amused by the idea of her 20-something Indian-American self as a long-lost Ephron sister."

In 2004, when The Office producer Greg Daniels was working to adapt The Office from the BBC TV series of the same name, he hired Kaling as a writer-performer after reading a spec script she wrote. He said, "She's very original ... If anything feels phony or lazy or passé, she'll pounce on it." When Kaling joined The Office, she was 24 years old and was the only woman on a staff of eight. She took on the role of Kelly Kapoor, debuting in the series' second episode, "Diversity Day". Her TV appearances include a 2005 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing Richard Lewis's assistant. She is featured on the CD Comedy Death-Ray and guest-wrote parts of an episode of Saturday Night Live in April 2006. After her film debut in The 40-Year-Old Virgin with Steve Carell, Kaling appeared in the film Unaccompanied Minors as a waitress.

File:MindyKaling08.jpg

In an interview with The A.V. Club, she stated that Kelly is "an exaggerated version of what I think the upper-level writers believe my personality is." Kaling directed The Office webisode The 3rd Floor.{{cite news| url= http://www.officetally.com/the-office-webisodes-the-3rd-floor|title=The Office Webisodes: The 3rd Floor|date=November 5, 2010| work= OfficeTally.com| access-date=January 5, 2015}} She directed the Season 6 episode "Body Language," which marked her television directorial debut. In 2007, she had a small part in License to Wed alongside fellow Office actors John Krasinski, Angela Kinsey, and Brian Baumgartner. She starred in the 2009 film Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian as a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum tour guide.

On September 15, 2011, when her contract was set to expire at the end of Season 7, she signed a new contract to stay with the show for Season 8 and was promoted to full executive producer.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvline.com/2011/09/mindy-kaling-office-contract-promotion-exec-producer|title=Scoop: Mindy Kaling Gets Major Office Promotion — But There's a Twist!|last=Ausiello|first=Michael|date=September 15, 2011|work=TVLine}} Her Universal Television contract included a development deal for a new show (eventually titled The Mindy Project), in which she appeared as an actress and contributed as a writer. Kaling left The Office after the ninth-season episode "New Guys", but returned to guest-star in its final episode. In 2011, Kaling published a memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), which appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list.{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/after-office-hours-mindy-kaling-writes-a-book|title=After 'Office' Hours, Mindy Kaling Writes a Book|date=April 22, 2010|work=The New York Times|last1=Itzkoff|first1=Dave|access-date=January 28, 2015|archive-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910154101/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/after-office-hours-mindy-kaling-writes-a-book/|url-status=live}} Her second book, Why Not Me?, covers the events that have happened in her life since 2011, and was published on September 15, 2015.{{Cite news| url= http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com/about-mindy/| title= Mindy Kaling| access-date= April 1, 2017| language= en-US| archive-date= May 12, 2017| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170512204313/http://theconcernsofmindykaling.com/about-mindy/| url-status= usurped}} She published a third memoir, Nothing Like I Imagined (Except For Sometimes), with Amazon Original Stories in 2020.

Kaling and her fellow writers and producers of The Office were nominated five consecutive times for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2010, she was nominated with Daniels for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode "Niagara."{{cite magazine|url=https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling/|title=The 2013 Time 100 – Mindy Kaling: Comedian and creator, 33|last=Helms|first=Ed|date=April 13, 2013|magazine=Time|access-date=March 8, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222012227/https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling/|url-status=live}} In a 2019 interview with Elle Magazine, Kaling spoke about the sexism she faced with the Television Academy, having had to go to great lengths to prove her contribution as a producer when the academy informed her she would be cut from the producer list because there were too many producers.{{Cite web |date=October 9, 2019 |title=Mindy Kaling Didn't Sign Up to Be a Role Model |url=https://www.elle.com/culture/a29340748/mindy-kaling-interview-2019/ |access-date=October 27, 2022 |website=Elle |language=en-us}} She said that to receive her rightful producing credit when The Office was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, "They made me, not any of the other producers, fill out a whole form and write an essay about all my contributions as a writer and a producer… I had to get letters from all the other male, white producers saying that I had contributed, when my actual record stood for itself."{{Cite web |last=Reilly |first=Kaitlin |title=Mindy Kaling Calls Out The Emmys For Excluding Her In Favor Of The Office's White Male Staff |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/10/8549922/mindy-kaling-excluded-emmy-nomination-the-office |access-date=October 27, 2022 |website=www.refinery29.com |language=en}} In 2011, she played the role of Shira, a doctor who is a roommate and colleague of the main character Emma (played by Natalie Portman) in No Strings Attached. Kaling also made an appearance as Vanetha in The Five-Year Engagement in 2012.

File: Mindy Kaling May 2019.jpg in 2019]]

In 2012, Kaling pitched a single-camera comedy{{cite news|url=http://www.improper.com/features/mindy-kaling |title=Mindy Kaling: The star of The Mindy Project tells us about stereotypes and being a smart girl in Hollywood. |date= 2013| work=The Improper Bostonian|last1=Soroff|first1=Jonathan|access-date=January 28, 2015}} to Fox called The Mindy Project, which Kaling wrote, produced and starred in.{{cite web|url=http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?fox_picks_up_mindy_kaling_pilot_17897.aspx|title=Fox picks up Mindy Kaling pilot|last=Ty|first=Kanara|date=February 1, 2012|work=Asia Pacific Arts|access-date=February 8, 2012|archive-date=August 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826045451/http://asiapacificarts.usc.edu/article@apa?fox_picks_up_mindy_kaling_pilot_17897.aspx|url-status=dead}} Fox began airing the series in 2012. Also in 2012, Kaling founded the production company, Kaling International.

In 2013, Time magazine named one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Fox canceled her series The Mindy Project in May 2015, with it later being picked up by Hulu for a 26-episode fourth season and a 16-episode fifth season. In March 2017, Kaling announced that the show's sixth season, which would air starting September 2017, would be the last.{{cite news| url= https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2017/03/29/mindy-kalings-the-mindy-project-is-ending-after-six-seasons| title= Mindy Kaling's 'The Mindy Project' is ending after six seasons| first= Kevin| last= Slane| website= Boston.com| publisher= Boston Globe Media Partners| date= March 29, 2017| access-date= December 28, 2017}} The series concluded on November 14, 2017.

Kaling voiced Taffyta Muttonfudge in Disney's animated comedy film Wreck-It Ralph and Disgust in Pixar's 2015 film Inside Out. In 2017, NBC created Champions, where Kaling is a co-creator, writer, and producer.{{cite news |title=Mindy Kaling Has a New Show Coming to NBC |url=https://time.com/4778338/mindy-kaling-champions-nbc/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129071515/https://time.com/4778338/mindy-kaling-champions-nbc/ |archive-date=November 29, 2020 |access-date=March 9, 2018 |magazine=Time |language=en}} She had a recurring guest role on the show, which premiered March 8, 2018, on NBC.{{Cite news|url=http://ew.com/tv/2018/03/07/mindy-kaling-champions-preview/|title=Mindy Kaling explains why she wanted to tell a more male-centric story with 'Champions'|work=EW.com|access-date=March 9, 2018|language=en}} It was cancelled after one season. In 2018, she played Mrs. Who in A Wrinkle in Time, the live-action Disney adaptation of the novel, and starred alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Awkwafina and Rihanna in Ocean's 8, the all-female version of Ocean's Eleven.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/helena-bonham-carter-elizabeth-banks-mindy-kaling-sandra-bullocks-all-female-oceans-eleven-a7074011.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220515/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/helena-bonham-carter-elizabeth-banks-mindy-kaling-sandra-bullocks-all-female-oceans-eleven-a7074011.html |archive-date=May 15, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title= That all-female Ocean's Eleven cast list adds three big names|date=June 10, 2016|work=The Independent|location=UK|language=en-GB |access-date=June 10, 2016}} In 2020, Kaling created the Netflix series Never Have I Ever with Lang Fisher, a comedy partially based on Kaling's childhood story growing up in the Boston area.{{cite web |title=Critics and audiences are loving Mindy Kaling's new Netflix show, 'Never Have I Ever' |url=https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2020/05/06/never-have-i-ever-reviews |website=Boston |access-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606143429/https://www.boston.com/culture/entertainment/2020/05/06/never-have-i-ever-reviews |url-status=live }} It premiered on Netflix on April 27, 2020, and is about an Indian American high school student, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, dealing with the death of her father.{{cite web |title=TV News Roundup: Netflix Releases 'Never Have I Ever' Trailer (Watch) |url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-netflix-releases-trailer-mindy-kalings-never-have-i-ever-1234581321/ |website=Variety |date=April 15, 2020 |access-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416052852/https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/tv-news-roundup-netflix-releases-trailer-mindy-kalings-never-have-i-ever-1234581321/ |url-status=live }} The series received positive reviews.{{cite web |title=Never Have I Ever: Season 1 |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/never_have_i_ever/s01 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610051818/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/never_have_i_ever/s01 |url-status=live }} CNN and Teen Vogue have described the series as a watershed moment for South Asian representation in Hollywood, and praised Kaling for breaking South Asian stereotypes.{{cite web |title=6 ways 'Never Have I Ever' busts Asian stereotypes |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/02/entertainment/never-have-i-ever-asian-stereotypes-busted/index.html |website=CNN Entertainment |date=May 2, 2020 |access-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609190235/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/02/entertainment/never-have-i-ever-asian-stereotypes-busted/index.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=What South Asian Youth Are Saying About Devi from "Never Have I Ever" |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-south-asian-youth-saying-about-devi-from-never-have-i-ever |website=Teen Vouge |date=May 6, 2020 |access-date=June 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609190900/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-south-asian-youth-saying-about-devi-from-never-have-i-ever |url-status=live }}

In February 2021, HBO Max announced they had ordered the adult-oriented Scooby-Doo spin-off series Velma, with Kaling as executive producer as well as voicing the titular character.{{Cite web|last=White|first=Peter|date=February 10, 2021|title='Clone High' Reboot, Mindy Kaling 'Scooby-Doo' Spinoff 'Velma' & Pete Davidson Mars Comedy Set At HBO Max As Streamer Ramps Up Adult Animation|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/clone-high-reboot-mindy-kaling-scooby-doo-spinoff-velma-pete-davidson-mars-comedy-hbo-max-adult-animation-1234690967/|access-date=July 23, 2021|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210163049/https://deadline.com/2021/02/clone-high-reboot-mindy-kaling-scooby-doo-spinoff-velma-pete-davidson-mars-comedy-hbo-max-adult-animation-1234690967/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Squires|first=Bethy|date=June 11, 2021|title=Mindy Kaling's Velma Will Be Without Scooby-Doo|url=https://www.vulture.com/2021/06/mindy-kalings-velma-will-be-without-scooby-doo.html|access-date=July 23, 2021|website=Vulture|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=Mondello|first=Bob|date=July 15, 2021|title=The Only 'New' Thing About Cross-Cultural Casting Is Who's Getting The Roles|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/15/1016048049/cross-cultural-casting-anne-boleyn-hamilton-othello-green-knight-bridgerton|access-date=July 23, 2021|website=NPR.org|language=en}} The series premiered on January 12, 2023, to mixed to negative reviews from critics.{{Cite web |url=https://slate.com/culture/2023/01/velma-mindy-kaling-hbo-max-review.html |title=HBO's Wokeified Scooby-Doo Reboot Achieves the Impossible |last=Goffe |first=Nadira |date=January 18, 2023 |access-date=January 19, 2023 |language=en-US |work=Slate |archive-date=January 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119001037/https://slate.com/culture/2023/01/velma-mindy-kaling-hbo-max-review.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news| issn = 0307-1235| last = Power| first = Ed| title = How Velma became the most hated TV show on TV| work = The Telegraph| access-date = January 19, 2023| date = January 18, 2023| url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/velma-how-mindy-kalings-scooby-doo-update-became-hated-show/| archive-date = January 18, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230118175432/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/velma-how-mindy-kalings-scooby-doo-update-became-hated-show/| url-status = live}}{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=Shirley |title=The Line That Velma Crossed |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/01/hbo-max-velma-review-mindy-kaling-backlash/672796/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=January 24, 2023 |date=January 20, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123232455/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/01/hbo-max-velma-review-mindy-kaling-backlash/672796/ |url-status=live }} Velma's fan reception was even more polarizing and got overwhelming negative reviews due to the humor and criticized its meta storytelling, characterization, writing, and departures from the traditional Scooby-Doo format.{{cite web | url=https://screenrant.com/velma-show-review-bombed-imdb-rotten-tomatoes/ | title=Scooby-Doo Spinoff Velma Show Review-Bombed on IMDb & Rotten Tomatoes | website=Screen Rant | date=January 12, 2023 | access-date=May 22, 2024 | archive-date=March 24, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324012033/https://screenrant.com/velma-show-review-bombed-imdb-rotten-tomatoes/ | url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Velma Becomes IMDB's Worst-Rated Animated TV Series Ever |url=https://www.pride.com/gay-tv/velma-worst-show-imdb-rating |access-date=January 23, 2023 |website=Pride.com |language=en |author=Henderson, Taylor |date=January 20, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123045645/https://www.pride.com/gay-tv/velma-worst-show-imdb-rating |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Katie |title=Scooby-Doo spin-off Velma sparks huge backlash following show's debut |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42618583/scooby-doo-velma-imdb-worst-rated-animation/ |website=Digital Spy |access-date=January 24, 2023 |date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123231850/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42618583/scooby-doo-velma-imdb-worst-rated-animation/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last1=Losciale |first1=Marisa |title=HBO's Velma Series Slammed by Fans Following Season Premiere |url=https://parade.com/tv/hbo-velma-series-premiere-slammed-by-fans |magazine=Parade |access-date=January 29, 2023 |date=January 15, 2023 |archive-date=January 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129024231/https://parade.com/tv/hbo-velma-series-premiere-slammed-by-fans |url-status=live }} Velma was later ranked by several publications as one of the worst television series of 2023.{{Cite web|last=Cook|first=Meghan|title=10 of the best and 10 of the worst TV shows that came out this year|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/best-and-worst-shows-of-2023-critic-ranking|access-date=January 1, 2024|website=Business Insider|archive-date=January 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101211627/https://www.businessinsider.com/best-and-worst-shows-of-2023-critic-ranking|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=December 28, 2023|title=The 10 worst TV shows of 2023, ranked|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/the-ten-worst-tv-shows-of-2023-ranked/|access-date=January 1, 2024|website=Digital Trends|archive-date=January 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101211627/https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/the-ten-worst-tv-shows-of-2023-ranked/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=TVLine|first=Team|date=December 5, 2023|title=2023 in Review: The 10 Worst Shows|url=https://tvline.com/lists/worst-tv-shows-2023-list/|access-date=January 1, 2024|website=TVLine|archive-date=December 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218235711/https://tvline.com/lists/worst-tv-shows-2023-list/|url-status=live}} That year, she was appointed as a board member along with historian June Li and Young Yang Chung for the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art.{{Cite news |title=Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art Announces New Board Appointments: Actress Mindy Kaling and Art Historians June Li and Young Yang Chung |url=https://asia.si.edu/press-release/smithsonians-national-museum-of-asian-art-announces-new-board-appointments-3/ |access-date=February 17, 2023 |website=Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art |language=en-US}}

In 2024, she joined the short film Anuja, as a producer.{{Cite web |url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mindy-kaling-anuja-short-oscars-live-action-film-india-1236071593/ |title= Mindy Kaling Boards Her "Favorite Film of the Year," Live-Action Short 'Anuja,' as Producer (Exclusive) |author= Lily Ford |website= The Hollywood Reporter |date= 26 November 2024 |access-date= 9 January 2025 |lang= en |archive-date= January 9, 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250109133622/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/mindy-kaling-anuja-short-oscars-live-action-film-india-1236071593/ |url-status= live }} The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 97th Academy Awards.{{Cite news |date=2025-01-23 |title=Anuja, backed by Guneet Monga and Priyanka Chopra, nominated for Oscars 2025 |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/guneet-monga-and-priyanka-chopra-backed-film-anuja-makes-it-to-oscar-2025-oscar-nominations-101737639315088.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250123143937/https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/guneet-monga-and-priyanka-chopra-backed-film-anuja-makes-it-to-oscar-2025-oscar-nominations-101737639315088.html |archive-date=January 23, 2025 |access-date=2025-01-28 |work=Hindustan Times |language=en-us |url-status=live }}

Kaling co-created the Netflix sports comedy Running Point, which premiered in 2025. The series stars Kate Hudson as the new owner of a Los Angeles based basketball team, and was inspired by the story of Jeanie Buss.{{cite web |last1=Rice |first1=Lynette |title='Running Point' Trailer: It's Game On For Kate Hudson As Head Of The Most Famous Pro Basketball Franchise In The Country – Update |url=https://deadline.com/2025/01/running-point-netflix-premiere-date-kate-hudson-comedy-jeanie-buss-1236262384/ |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=6 March 2025 |date=30 January 2025}}

Kaling has three children: a daughter, born in December 2017, a son, born in September 2020 and a daughter born in February 2024.{{Cite Instagram |postid=C8m3wCwvdYz |user=mindykaling |title=In late February I gave birth to my daughter, Anne. She's the best birthday present I could've ever imagined. When things are hard, whenever I veer towards cynicism, my three kids are such a great reminder of the pure joy in my life. I'm so lucky I live in a place where I could do this by myself, on my own timeline. Thanks for all the birthday wishes! |first=Mindy |last=Kaling |author=Mindy Kaling |date=June 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229051004/https://www.instagram.com/p/C8m3wCwvdYz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== |archive-date=December 29, 2024 |url-status=live}} She has kept the paternity of her children private.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/mindy-kaling-interview-2022/|title=The Metamorphosis of Mindy Kaling|magazine=Marie Claire|date=August 9, 2022|last=Prakash|first=Neha|access-date=May 8, 2023|archive-date=May 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508214402/https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/mindy-kaling-interview-2022/|url-status=live}} She is an adherent of Hinduism and has expressed her desire to give her children a Hindu upbringing.{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/binge-watch/story/mindy-kaling-maitreyi-ramakrishnan-devi-she-was-perfect-choice-never-have-i-ever-1674318-2020-05-04 | title=Mindy Kaling on Maitreyi Ramakrishnan: She was the perfect choice for Never Have I Ever | date=May 4, 2020 }}{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/mindy-kaling-on-never-have-i-ever-growing-up-hindu-and-showing-relatable-indian-women-on-screen/article61448676.ece&ved=2ahUKEwjg4JKS7bX_AhXhiv0HHU2cAhwQFnoECBgQBQ&usg=AOvVaw2xj1Ix2a-JsZXxRBGbSB_N | title=Mindy Kaling on 'Never Have I Ever', growing up Hindu, and showing relatable Indian women on screen | newspaper=The Hindu | date=April 24, 2020 }}{{Cite web|url=https://americankahani.com/entertainment/no-church-for-my-daughter-the-significance-of-mindy-kalings-kind-of-hindu-identity/|title=No Church for My Daughter: The Significance of Mindy Kaling's 'Kind of Hindu' Identity|first=Bhargavi|last=Kulkarni|date=October 12, 2020}}

Kaling has a close friendship with B. J. Novak, whom she met through writing for The Office, with Novak calling Kaling "the most important person in my life" (on Fresh Air with Terry Gross). They dated on and off while writing and acting on the show.{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/mindy-kaling-and-bj-novak-sitting-in-a-tree|title=33 Times Mindy Kaling And B.J. Novak's Best Friendship Killed You In The Heart|first=Summer Anne|last=Burton|website=BuzzFeed|date=February 7, 2014 |access-date=May 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011041146/https://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/mindy-kaling-and-bj-novak-sitting-in-a-tree|archive-date=October 11, 2016|url-status=live}} Novak is the godfather of Kaling's first two children.{{cite news|url=https://people.com/parents/mindy-kaling-reveals-bj-novak-godfather-to-her-daughter/|title=Mindy Kaling Reveals B.J. Novak Is Godfather to Her 16-Month-Old Daughter: He's 'Family Now'|newspaper=People|date=May 4, 2019|access-date=May 4, 2019|archive-date=May 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502072429/https://people.com/parents/mindy-kaling-reveals-bj-novak-godfather-to-her-daughter/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y32B5TEWuHc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/y32B5TEWuHc |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|title=Mindy Kaling's Big Announcement: She Has A New Baby Boy Named Spencer!|website=YouTube |date=October 9, 2020 }}{{cbignore}}

In 2012, Kaling was included in the Time 100 list of the world's most influential people.{{Citation|last=Helms|first=Ed|year=2013|title=The 2013 TIME 100|magazine=Time|publisher=Time Inc.|location=New York|url=https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling/|access-date=August 30, 2017|archive-date=August 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818035132/http://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling/|url-status=live}} In 2014, she was named one of Glamour{{'}}s Women of the Year.{{Cite web|last=Angelo|first=Megan|date=November 5, 2014|title=The Lady Boss: Mindy Kaling|url=https://www.glamour.com/story/mindy-kaling|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502121637/https://www.glamour.com/story/mindy-kaling|archive-date=May 2, 2020|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=Glamour}} On June 10, 2018, she received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.{{cite web|date=June 10, 2018|title=Mindy Kaling (Doctor of Humane Letters) – Dartmouth News|url=https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2018/06/mindy-kaling-doctor-humane-letters|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502120522/https://news.dartmouth.edu/news/2018/06/mindy-kaling-doctor-humane-letters|archive-date=May 2, 2020|access-date=October 9, 2020|website=Dartmouth News}} In October 2023, Kaling took to social media to stand alongside Israel.{{Cite web |last=Wagmeister |first=Elizabeth |date=2023-10-09 |title=Gal Gadot, Madonna, Natalie Portman, The Rock And More Hollywood Stars Support Israel Amid Deadly Hamas Attacks |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/hollywood-stars-support-israel-palestine-conflict-1235749537/ |access-date=2025-03-24 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} In June 2024, the Los Angeles Times featured Kaling in its "L.A. Influential" series as a "creator who is leaving their mark" in Los Angeles.{{Cite web |last=Subscribers |first=For |date=June 2, 2024 |title=The Creators: A Hollywood trailblazer, a gaming visionary, a horror genius ... |url=https://www.latimes.com/la-influential/story/2024-06-02/the-creators |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204145726/https://www.latimes.com/la-influential/story/2024-06-02/the-creators |url-status=live }} On August 21, 2024, she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of Kamala Harris.{{Cite web |title=Full Video: Mindy Kaling speaks at DNC - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/full-video-mindy-kaling-speaks-at-dnc/ |access-date=August 22, 2024 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}

Over her career she has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Tony Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards nominations. She was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013. A decade later she received the Producers Guild of America's Norman Lear Achievement in Television Award, and was awarded the National Medal of the Arts from President Joe Biden.{{cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |date=November 16, 2022 |title=Mindy Kaling to Be Lauded With Norman Lear Award at PGA Awards |url=https://deadline.com/2022/11/mindy-kaling-pga-awards-norman-lear-award-1235174022/ |access-date=December 8, 2022 |website=Deadline}}

In 2013, Entertainment Weekly identified Kaling as one of the "50 Coolest and Most Creative Entertainers" in Hollywood.{{cite magazine|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/07/31/mindy-kaling-new-hollywood/|title=This Week's Cover: The New Hollywood starring Mindy Kaling|date=July 31, 2013|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|last1=EW Staff|access-date=January 28, 2015|archive-date=March 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307133827/http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/07/31/mindy-kaling-new-hollywood/|url-status=live}} In the same year, Kaling was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.{{cite magazine|url=https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling/|title=Time Magazine: 100 Most Influential People|date=April 18, 2013|magazine=Time Magazine|last=Helms|first=Ed|access-date=March 7, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222012227/https://time100.time.com/2013/04/18/time-100/slide/mindy-kaling/|url-status=live}} In March 2023, Kaling was awarded the 2021 National Medal of Arts from the US president Joe Biden in the White House.{{cite web|url= https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2023/03/22/biden-presents-national-humanities-medals-to-actress-mindy-kaling.html|title= Biden presents National Humanities Medals to actress Mindy Kaling|website= The Week|date= March 22, 2023|access-date= March 22, 2023|archive-date= March 22, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230322060255/https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2023/03/22/biden-presents-national-humanities-medals-to-actress-mindy-kaling.html|url-status= live}}

• Kaling, Mindy, and Brenda Withers. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/56892993 Matt & Ben: A New Play.] Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2004; {{ISBN|978-1-585-67571-5}}
• Kaling, Mindy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/fashion/20kaling.html Unbelievable Holiday Tales: Scripting a Fantasy of a Family], The New York Times, December 18, 2009.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/20/fashion/20kaling.html|title=Unbelievable Holiday Tales: Scripting a Fantasy of a Family|date=December 18, 2009|work=The New York Times|last1=Kaling|first1=Mindy|access-date=January 28, 2015}}
• Kaling, Mindy. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), New York: Crown Archetype, 2011; {{ISBN|978-0-307-88627-9}}; {{OCLC|698332696}}
• Kaling, Mindy. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/806016207 Questions I Ask When I Want to Talk About Myself: 50 Topics to Share With Friends], Clarkson Potter, 2013; {{ISBN|978-0-449-81988-3}}
• Kaling, Mindy. Why Not Me?, New York : Crown Archetype, 2015; {{ISBN|978-0-804-13814-7}}; {{OCLC|910914690}}
• Kaling, Mindy. Nothing Like I Imagined (Except for Sometimes), Amazon Original Stories, 2020

{{reflist}}

{{Wikiquote}}

• {{IMDb name|1411676|Mindy Kaling}}

{{Mindy Kaling}}

{{National Medal of Arts recipients 2010s & 2020s}}

{{Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television}}

{{Satellite Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy}}

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Category:1979 births

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