{"id":2423496,"date":"2026-05-19T16:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T16:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2423496"},"modified":"2026-05-19T16:24:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T16:24:01","slug":"mindy-kaling-says-b-j-novak-is-a-huge-part-of-her-family-but-she-knows-it-gives-people-a-lot-of-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/mindy-kaling-says-b-j-novak-is-a-huge-part-of-her-family-but-she-knows-it-gives-people-a-lot-of-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindy Kaling Says B.J. Novak Is a &#8216;Huge Part&#8217; of Her Family, But She Knows It &#8216;Gives People a Lot of Ideas&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Mindy Kaling shared that B.J. Novak is &#8220;such a huge part&#8221; of her family<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kaling reflected on her decision to have kids as a single mom despite not considering herself a &#8220;kid person&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The comedian is mom to daughters Kit and Anne, as well as son Spencer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/tag\/mindy-kaling\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Mindy Kaling;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Mindy Kaling&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Mindy Kaling<\/a> is opening up about the role her good friend <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/b-j-novak-the-little-book-with-no-pictures-to-make-kids-and-grown-ups-laugh-cover-reveal-exclusive-11962849\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:B.J. Novak;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;B.J. Novak&quot;}\" class=\"link \">B.J. Novak<\/a> plays in her kids&#8217; lives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While speaking with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bustle.com\/entertainment\/mindy-kaling-interview-not-suitable-for-work-running-point\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Bustle;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Bustle&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Bustle<\/em><\/a> for a new interview, the actress, 46, shared that her ex-boyfriend and longtime friend Novak &#8220;really is in our family&#8221; to her and her three kids \u2014 Katherine &#8220;Kit,&#8221; 8, Spencer, 5, and Anne, 2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;He really is in our family, and I love talking about him because my kids adore him, and he&#8217;s such a huge part of our life,&#8221; said Kaling. &#8220;But I also know that it gives people a lot of ideas.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for<\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:PEOPLE's free daily newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;PEOPLE'&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong> PEOPLE&#8217;s free daily newsletter<\/strong><\/a><strong> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Mindy Kaling for Bustle<br \/>Credit: Christian Soria<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;If I was watching it from the outside, I would have the same questions and the same reactions,&#8221; she admitted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kaling and Novak dated on and off from 2004 to 2007 while working on <em>The Office<\/em> together. He is also the godfather to her three kids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <em>Running Point<\/em> creator later commented on her decision to have kids as a single mom, saying that the choice felt &#8220;really crazy&#8221; and that she never considered herself a &#8220;kid person.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;It&#8217;s one of the biggest mysteries in my life, this fervent knowledge that I knew I had to have kids that was not based on any real love of children,&#8221; shared Kaling. &#8220;B.J., for instance, he&#8217;s always been a kid person.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Mindy Kaling for BustleCredit: Christian Soria\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"662\" height=\"960\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/SPK50c9TxKKzy5ZNDS.09A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEzOTI7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/f20900b7c8bde66bca931a662a3d31f1\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Mindy Kaling for Bustle<br \/>Credit: Christian Soria<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;He has a brother who&#8217;s 13 years younger than him, and he loved his little brother and just always has been a kid person,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;It&#8217;s such a deep mystery why I needed to do it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In April, Novak spoke on an episode of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3wWmnePIJN0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Watch What Happens Live;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Watch What Happens Live&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Watch What Happens Live<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em>revealing that Kaling&#8217;s daughter Kit <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/mindy-kaling-daughter-sweet-nickname-for-godfather-bj-novak-11954803\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:has a special nickname for him;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;has a special nickname for him&quot;}\" class=\"link \">has a special nickname for him<\/a> \u2014 and it comes from a cartoon character.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cKit nicknamed me Fofo, which is based on a Duolingo for Kids character \u2014 the bear Fofo,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, I got her a Fofo stuffed animal for her collection, and that hit the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI have to say B.J. [is] very present with children. He\u2019s very\u2014 he gets on their level. He talks to them,\u201d host Andy Cohen responded, before jokingly adding, \u201cI bet you\u2019re still making a mint out of that children\u2019s book, aren\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Mindy Kaling for BustleCredit: Christian Soria\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"649\" height=\"960\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/kBynANGG5yEm8VUkZQgMdw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0MjA7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/c99d4c2997d237e6c85167f21308b66c\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Mindy Kaling for Bustle<br \/>Credit: Christian Soria<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cYeah, but it\u2019s out of love,\u201d the actor replied. \u201c&#8230; That\u2019s a lesson for all of us, right? You do what you love, and you get more out of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kaling first revealed that Novak was the godfather to her daughter Katherine in an interview with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodhousekeeping.com\/life\/relationships\/a27359119\/mindy-kaling-bj-novak-godfather-daughter\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Good Housekeeping;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Good Housekeeping&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Good Housekeeping<\/em><\/a> in 2019.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The truth is that B.J. is so much more like family now than a platonic friend. He&#8217;s the godfather to my daughter,&#8221; Kaling said at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;He comes over once a week. Sometimes he&#8217;ll come over just to hang out with her,&#8221; she added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/mindy-kaling-says-bj-novak-huge-part-of-her-family-kids-adore-him-11978492\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:People;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;People&quot;}\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW Mindy Kaling shared that B.J. Novak is &#8220;such a huge part&#8221; of her family Kaling reflected on her decision to have kids as a single mom despite not considering herself a &#8220;kid person&#8221; The comedian is mom to daughters Kit and Anne, as well as son Spencer Mindy Kaling is opening up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2423497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[399841,474972,356905],"class_list":["post-2423496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-b-j-novak","tag-christian-soria","tag-mindy-kaling"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Mindy-Kaling-Says-BJ-Novak-Is-a-Huge-Part-of.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2423496"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2423498,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2423496\/revisions\/2423498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2423497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2423496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2423496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2423496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}