The Truth to Rumors B.J. Novak Is the Father to Mindy Kaling’s Children After She Called Him an ‘Integral Part’ of Her Family
Mindy Kaling is more than just an actress. Kaling, who was born Vera Mindy Chokalingam, is a Hollywood powerhouse. A writer, producer, and accomplished comedian, Kaling first rose to fame for playing the role of Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office, where she also worked as a writer. But since then, Kaling has done enough that absolutely no one thinks of her as just Kelly from The Office.
She went on to create, produce, and play the title role in the sitcom The Mindy Project and has created television series like Never Have I Ever, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and the upcoming Netflix sports comedy Running Point, starring Kate Hudson. She’s also had roles in movies like Despicable Me, Late Night, and Ocean’s 8, written two memoirs, and won a Tony Award. She’s also been nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards.
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It’s her body of work that earned her the recognition of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And it was the ceremony for that which once again reignited rumors about Kaling’s personal life, including her relationship with actor B.J. Novak, who she dated on and off during the early years of The Office.
But are Kaling and Novak an item? And is he the father of Kaling’s three children? Here’s everything we know about their relationship.
Who is Mindy Kaling’s Babby Daddy?
Kaling has never confirmed who the father of her three children is, but fans have speculated for years about the possibility of the baby daddy being Kaling’s close friend B.J. Novak. The fact that Novak accompanied Kaling on her recent Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, with the two looking very cozy, has just added fuel to the fire. Particularly considering Kaling’s words about Novak during the ceremony, where she said, “Fun Fact: My daughter calls B.J. uncle FoFo, I have no idea why that is. But he’s such an important and integral part of my family that sometimes I forget that the reason that I know him is that we worked together professionally. And I’m as starstruck by him now, at age 29, as I was when I first met you, at age 24.”
Kaling and Novak did not meet five years ago but over twenty. But after the joke, Kaling got serious once again, telling Novak, “I love you.”
Novak also spoke at the ceremony, celebrated Kaling for being “a brilliant and wildly successful showrunner,” as well as “an incredible mother of three, a deep and caring daughter and friend and mentor to so many.”
But is Novak the father of her three children, Katherine Swati, Spencer Avu, and Anne? The answer is no one knows and Kaling is certainly not telling. She told the New York Times, “My feeling is that, until I speak to my daughter about that, I’m not going to talk to anyone else about it.”
Kaling, however, has confirmed Novak is the godfather of her children, at least the two oldest ones, telling CBS in 2019: “He’s the godfather to my daughter. I see him every week. It isn’t the thing that people sometimes think it is. He’s really part of my family now, which is great. Even though that’s less of a sexy characterization of our relationship, I think it’s a deeper and a closer one. We do spend a lot of time together and it’s a great blessing in my life.”
And to Marie Claire in 2022, “He’s the godparent to both my kids — and they have such a great relationship — and so far [the speculation hasn’t] affected my happiness at all, it hasn’t affected my kids or BJ. It doesn’t bother me. If that’s what is going to be titillating to people, I’ll take it.”
