In a New Interview, Mindy Kaling Opened Up About Her Weight Loss Journey
The actor, writer, and producer has long been open about her relationship with body image. In her 2011 memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), she even included an essay titled “Chubby for Life,” where she reflected on years of trying different fad diets.
Speaking with Bustle, Mindy Kaling addressed the conversation around her slimmer appearance in recent years, saying, “It’s sometimes no fun when one of your favorite actors loses weight. You have an idea of who they were when you first connected with them, and that became part of why people found them so relatable.”
“Of course, being constantly scrutinized is never enjoyable,” she continued. “But as someone who also follows pop culture, I completely understand why people react the way they do.”
More than 20 years after joining the writers’ room of The Office, Mindy Kaling is returning to workplace comedy with Hulu’s new series Not Suitable for Work. But while her career continues to grow, much of her personal life has taken a very different path than she once imagined.
Kaling reflected on how, in her younger years, she expected to follow a traditional timeline — marriage, children, and stability by her early 30s. Instead, she became one of Hollywood’s most successful multihyphenates, creating and starring in projects like The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever, and The Sex Lives of College Girls.
She also opened up about public attention surrounding her weight loss, saying she understands why fans react strongly because people often connect emotionally to celebrities as they first knew them. Kaling explained that her motivation today is centered more on long-term health and being there for her children than appearance.
Now a single mother of three, Kaling says she feels genuinely happy and fulfilled without needing the kind of romantic relationship she once thought defined success. Looking back, she admits her life turned out nothing like she planned — but in many ways, even better.