Mindy Kaling Addresses Persistent Speculation That B.J. Novak Is Her Secret Baby Daddy

Mindy Kaling has addressed persistent rumours about the identity of her baby daddy while discussing the dynamic between her children and her The Office co-star B.J. Novak.

ICYMI, Kaling, a single mum, has been at the centre of years-long speculation for choosing not to disclose the father of her three kids Katherine, Spencer and Anne — and the lack of deets has spawned ongoing chatter that Novak is the mystery man.

Kaling and Novak dated on-and-off from 2004 to 2007 while co-writing and co-starring in The Office, and they have famously remained close friends in the years since, spawning countless shippers and even more TikTok edits.

Kaling and Novak played the infamously toxic couple, Kelly and Ryan, in The Office.

Novak is the godfather to all three of Kaling’s kids, but she has never outright confirmed or denied whether he’s also their biological father.

She got close to doing so in a recent interview with Bustle, saying she is aware of the rumours among fans and admitting that even she “would have the same reactions” given her and Novak’s well-documented lore.

“He really is in our family, and I love talking about him because my kids adore him, and he’s such a huge part of our life,” Kaling said. “But I also know that it gives people a lot of ideas.”

*“Gives people a lot of ideas.” (Image: Getty Images)*

The Mindy Project star went on to acknowledge fans’ interest, but stopped short of directly confirming the paternity speculation. “If I was watching it from the outside, I would have the same questions and the same reactions,” she said.

It’s not the first time Kaling has mentioned the rumours or Novak’s role in her family.

In her 2019 book Good Housekeeping, she described the actor as “more like family than a platonic friend”, and she said more recently that speculation he is the baby daddy “doesn’t bother me”.

*Kaling has regularly updated fans on her motherhood journey on social media. (Image: Instagram)*

Kaling has rightfully stood firm in keeping the father’s identity private, explaining she wants to wait until they’re older to see how they want to handle the matter.

Novak briefly dated TikTok comedian Delaney Rowe last year, while Kaling said in the Bustle interview that she is content being a single mum.

Lead images: Getty and B.J. Novak/Instagram