Mindy Kaling

Kaling says she loves being turned into a meme because it makes her feel young.

“I love being a meme. It makes me feel young”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 31:10

Kaling considers The Office groundbreaking for allowing women on screen who were not conventionally glamorous.

“To be on a show where you didn't have to be like a straightforwardly hot woman”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 30:53

Kaling explains she was cast because the Diversity Day episode needed non-white characters for Michael Scott to offend.

“in order for it to be funny that, like, Michael Scott was offending a room of people, it wasn't as funny if it was just, like, all white”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 30:16

Kaling says she avoids TikTok partly out of concern it would hurt her productivity.

“I'm not on TikTok for no real reason. It's not like a decision, but I think it's tied to in some way like productivity”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 56:38

Kaling says that, inspired by Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig, she would like to write and direct films.

“I'm always really inspired by them. I think that's the thing is I'd love to be able to write – And direct movies”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 53:00

Kaling says she aims to make genuinely funny comfort television rather than shows for academic study.

“Not that I don't think that's an important job and things, but I want to do something that's like when times are hard”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 50:32

Kaling says the unifying theme of her three shows is ambitious underdogs with big romantic and professional wants.

“I love writing for underdogs and ambitious people and people with lots of big wants and needs, both like romantically and professionally”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 48:53

Kaling says giving her selfish, flawed lead character a selfless OB-GYN job made her inherently sympathetic.

“it's nice for a lead character in a show, particularly when the character is so out there and sort of selfish and flawed, to have such a selfless job,”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 38:14

Kaling says after eight years as number 11 on The Office call sheet she wanted to lead her own show.

“eight years later, I was like, number 11 gets a little old”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 34:52

Kaling says Matt & Ben's off-Broadway run drew celebrities, moved to Los Angeles, and led to her being hired on The Office.

“That's when, like, a couple celebrities came and saw it. And that's how it moved to L.A. and how I got hired on The Office”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 28:31

Kaling says Matt & Ben was conceived as a play about creative collaboration and competition between friends.

“let's write a little play about – the creative process between friends and competition, which has been interesting to me for a long, long time”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 26:18

Kaling says one of her goals is to be genuinely present for her children while continuing her career.

“I really want to be able to hang with them and be with them in a real way”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 53:31

Kaling contrasts New York variety show writers, whom she sees as darker and joke-driven, with story-focused sitcom writers.

“But, like, there was more of, like, a cerebral, darker energy to— uh, New York variety show writers, right?”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 44:24

Kaling says today's Dartmouth improv troupe differs from her era in that the men are feminist and the women unafraid.

“the guys in the troop are feminist. The women are unafraid to be who they are”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 20:06

Kaling recalls her mother worrying that her overweight daughter would emulate Chris Farley's physical comedy to gain acceptance.

“I remember my mom being very worried and being like because I was overweight”

Good Hang with Amy Poehler: Mindy Kaling (Jun 30, 2026) · Listen from 17:43