Trivia

Her mother, Swati Chokalingam (1945-2012) was an OB/GYN physician and once worked in the same Boston hospital with Ronald Krasinski, the internist father of her The Office (2005) co-star, John Krasinski.

Her middle name, Mindy, originates from the sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978). Her mother was pregnant with her in Nigeria and that was the only American show they got there. When she met Robin Williams and told him the story, he didn't believe her.

Mindy's late mother was an OB/GYN doctor, inspiring many of the storylines in The Mindy Project (2012).

Was the first female member of The Office (2005) writing staff when she began there at age 26.

Co-wrote the acclaimed play "Matt and Ben", a comedy about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. She played the role of Ben.

Graduated from Dartmouth College, where she was a member of The Dog Day Players improv troupe, and where she also wrote a comic strip for the campus newspaper called 'Badly Drawn Girl'.

Has a daughter, Katherine Swati Kaling (b. December 15, 2017 in Los Angeles at 10:50 am). Katherine's middle name, Swati, honors her late grandmother, who died of pancreatic cancer in January 2012.

Her parents, Swati (Raisircar) and Avu Chokalingam, met in Nigeria, and were both Indian. Her father is Tamil and her mother was Bengali.

Was on the Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. (2013)

Counts L'hôtel en folie (1975) among some of her earliest comedic writing influences.

Gave birth her to son Spencer Avu Kaling on September 3, 2020.

Mindy Kaling was one of the producers who won the Tony Award for Best Musical for "A Strange Loop". (2022)

Graduated from Buckingham, Browne & Nichols, a private school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, along with Alison Folland (1997).

Describes her parents as "confirmed conservative Republicans".

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 18, 2025. Her The Office (2005) co-star B.J. Novak was a guest speaker at the ceremony.

Is close friends with Web analyst and actor David Harris, who briefly appears in her new comic memoir "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)".

She was awarded the 2021 National Medal of the Arts in Washington D.C.