Mindy Kaling is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer best known for playing the chatty, pop-culture-obsessed Kelly Kapoor in the acclaimed sitcom The Office, a show she also wrote for and produced, and for creating and starring in The Mindy Project. With her sharp, funny voice and her gift for writing about modern life, she has become one of the most influential comedy writers and producers in Hollywood, and a role model for a generation of young women.
| Full Name | Vera Mindy Chokalingam |
| Date of Birth | June 24, 1979 |
| Age | 47 years old (as of November 2026) |
| Birthplace | Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Profession | Actress, writer, producer |
| Known For | The Office, The Mindy Project, Never Have I Ever |
| Children | Three |
| Net Worth | Approx. $35 million (Celebrity Net Worth, 2025) |
Who Is Mindy Kaling?
Mindy Kaling is a writer, actress and producer whose work has shaped American comedy for two decades. She first became known as Kelly Kapoor in The Office, a character who is obsessed with celebrity gossip, fashion and her on-again, off-again boyfriend Ryan, and who delivers some of the show’s funniest lines. But Kaling was more than an actress on The Office, she was also a writer and executive producer, one of the few women in the writers’ room, and she wrote some of the show’s most memorable episodes.
After The Office, Kaling created and starred in The Mindy Project, which ran from 2012 to 2017, playing an obstetrician navigating work and romance in New York. She went on to create the Netflix series Never Have I Ever, about a first-generation Indian-American teenager, and The Sex Lives of College Girls, and she has written books, including the memoirs Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Why Not Me?, both bestsellers.
Early Life & Background
Vera Mindy Chokalingam was born on June 24, 1979, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the daughter of Avu Chokalingam, an architect, and Swati Chokalingam, an obstetrician, both immigrants from India. She grew up in Cambridge, where she attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, and then studied at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where she was a member of the improv comedy troupe The Dog Day Players and wrote for the college newspaper.
After graduating from Dartmouth in 2001, Kaling moved to New York, where she worked as a production assistant and performed in the off-Broadway play Matt & Ben, which she co-wrote with her friend Brenda Withers, a comedy about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The play was a success, and it brought Kaling to the attention of television producers, including Greg Daniels, the creator of the American version of The Office.
Kaling has three children, a daughter named Katherine, born in 2017, a son named Spencer, born in 2020, and a daughter named Anne, born in 2024. She has kept the identity of their father private, and she has spoken about raising her children as a single mother and about the importance of family in her life.
Career
Kaling joined The Office in 2005 as a writer and as Kelly Kapoor, and she quickly became one of the show’s most important voices. She wrote the episode Diversity Day, the show’s second episode, and she went on to write more than twenty episodes, including the fan favourite Niagara, in which Jim and Pam get married. She was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award six times for her work on The Office, as a writer and as a producer.
After The Office ended in 2013, Kaling starred in The Mindy Project, which she created and executive produced, and she appeared in the films The Five-Year Engagement, Inside Out, in which she voiced the character Disgust, and Ocean’s 8 in 2018. She created the Netflix series Never Have I Ever in 2020, which ran for four seasons and was praised for its representation of South Asian American life, and she created The Sex Lives of College Girls for HBO Max in 2021.
Like fellow Office star Rainn Wilson, Kaling is known for a career that blends acting, writing and producing, and for a voice that is funny, honest and deeply personal. Like Jenna Fischer, she is known for a defining role in The Office, and for the work she has done since to create opportunities for other writers and actors.
Facts About Mindy Kaling
- Mindy Kaling was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award six times for her work on The Office.
- She created and starred in The Mindy Project, which ran from 2012 to 2017.
- She voiced the character Disgust in the Pixar film Inside Out in 2015.
- She has three children, and she has kept the identity of their father private.
- She wrote the bestselling memoirs Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? and Why Not Me?
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Mindy Kaling?
Mindy Kaling was born on June 24, 1979, which makes her 47 years old as of November 2026.
How tall is Mindy Kaling?
Mindy Kaling is 5 feet 4 inches tall (1.63 metres).
What is Mindy Kaling’s net worth?
Mindy Kaling’s net worth is estimated at approximately $35 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth in 2025.
What is Mindy Kaling best known for?
Mindy Kaling is best known for playing Kelly Kapoor in The Office and for creating The Mindy Project and Never Have I Ever.