Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak have one of the most enviable friendships in Hollywood — and their bond keeps getting stronger through the years.
The comedians met while writing for The Office in the early 2000s, and instantly felt a connection that was mirrored in their characters, Kelly Kapoor and Ryan Howard.
While the pair briefly sparked up a romance during the early years of the NBC comedy, they quickly realized they were destined to stay platonic. Despite years of insisting that they’re just friends, they’ve constantly been followed by questions about the status of their relationship.
“If I was on the outside looking at it, I would think the same thing,” Kaling told Good Housekeeping in May 2019. “But the truth is that B.J. is so much more like family now than a platonic friend. He’s the godfather to my daughter,.”
Scroll down to relive the former costars’ unbreakable bond through the years:
‘Office’ Buddies
The dynamic duo met while working on NBC’s beloved comedy The Office in 2004. Eight years later, Kaling reflected on her nearly instant love for Novak. “It’s the kind of friendship you have when you are embedded with someone, that you can only get by putting in that insane amount of time with people,” she told Vulture in 2012.
What Are We?
As they continued to grow closer, their offscreen relationship started to mirror their characters’ relationship. “No one, including us, ever really knew, ‘Is this dating? Is this not dating?’ We were never really dating, we were never really not dating. We didn’t know. No one knew,” Novak told Vulture in 2012. The comedic couple dated on and off throughout the early years of The Office, but eventually settled into their super serious friendship. “In real life, I think we just essentially grew up and it became more of a transition,” Novak added.
Better as BFFs
Kaling and Novak reportedly took the romantic aspect of their relationship out of the picture around 2007, one year before the Late Night actress moved on with writer Benjamin Nugent, from whom she split in 2012.
Supportive in Every Way
The former flames continued to work side by side on The Office until Kaling’s exit from the series in 2012. “The Office was just like college twice,” Kaling fondly recalled after leaving the hit show.
Surprise!
Kaling’s fans were beyond surprised when Novak made an unexpected appearance on his friend’s 2011 book tour after publishing her first memoir. He proudly watched from the sidelines as the Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? author signed books and snapped photos with fans.
Officially ‘Inseparable’
After leaving The Office behind, Kaling wrote, produced and starred in her own series, The Mindy Project. Before making a guest appearance on the FOX show, Novak gushed over his best pal and her accomplishments. “We are pretty inseparable best friends with a lot of chemistry ourselves, and we’re not dating,” he told Entertainment Weekly in January 2013. “Whenever we date anyone else, I think there’s a period where the person is very skeptical of our friendship.”
Red Carpet Ready!
The Massachusetts natives teamed up for a fierce night of fashion at the 2013 Met Gala in New York City. While Kaling was getting ready for the big event, Novak provided some hype music in the dressing room. “He’s my date tonight,” she told Us Weekly at the time. “We were listening to Nirvana and we drank a little.”
Setting the Record Straight — Again
During a September 2014 interview on The Howard Stern Show, the No Strings Attached actress gave a little insight on her split from the Book With No Pictures author. “It was years and years ago that that breakup happened. I was so sad, not angry, sad,” Kaling explained. “I love him, and I think he’s a great person, but I’m not holding a candle for B.J.” While she admitted she probably would have married Novak when they were dating in their 20s, she teased, “For the record, if anyone asked me to marry them, I would have said yes.”
So Humble it Hurts
In December 2014, Kaling shared a behind-the-scenes look at a typical text conversation with her “punk ass” BFF. “I’m so proud of you. Look at this great cast with you at the center,” Novak wrote, to which the License to Wed actress replied, “Stop being proud of me and get dessert with me.”
Relationship Is ‘Romantically Charged’
“I will freely admit: My relationship with B.J. Novak is weird as hell,” the Never Have I Ever creator joked to InStyle in May 2015. “He is not my boyfriend, but he is not my best friend. I guess you could describe our relationship as a ‘romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments,’ but I don’t think Facebook would accept this as a new status.” Earlier that year, Kaling told Good Housekeeping that Novak was like family — and forever had her mom’s stamp of approval.
Together Forever
The longtime besties celebrated National Best Friends Day with a sweet selfie in June 2016. One year earlier, the duo reportedly signed a million-dollar book deal to dish on their relationship. “He was the one who came up with the idea of working together on something with me,” Kaling told Elle at the time. “We actually don’t even know what it’s going to be about, but we had one of our first work sessions, and it was great. So we’ll see!”
Mom’s Night Out
Three months after giving birth to her daughter, Katherine, Kaling and Novak hit the red carpet together at the 2018 Oscars. While fans wonder who the little one’s father is, Kaling isn’t interested in addressing rumors. “My feeling is that, until I speak to my daughter about that, I’m not going to talk to anyone else about it,” she later told the New York Times.
Dreaming Big
After Novak gushed over seeing his best friend glowing in promotional posters for A Wrinkle in Time, Kaling was moved to tears. “When I was coming up there was no one who looked like me on TV or film, and it was such a nice thing that he remembered that,” she told Hoda Kotb of her friend’s sweet message in April 2018. “I was so moved by that. No, it’s true — if you dream big, you can get whatever you want.”
From Friends to Family
Having weathered more than a decade of questions about the status of her relationship with Novak, the Champions producer admitted she wasn’t fazed by the curiosity. “He’s the godfather to my daughter. I see him every week,” she told CBS News in June 2019. “It isn’t the thing that people sometimes think it is. He’s really part of my family now, which is great. Even though that’s less of a sexy characterization of our relationship, I think it’s a deeper and a closer one. We do spend a lot of time together and it’s a great blessing in my life.”
They’d Like to Thank the Academy
The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend actor and the Ocean’s Eleven star took over the photo booth at the Vanity Fair party after the 2020 Academy Awards.
Her Biggest Fan
In October 2020, Kaling took part in the viral “How It Started vs. How It’s Going” challenge — and received the sweetest comment from her best pal. “So yeah, it’s going pretty well. How about you?” the comedian captioned a side by side comparison of herself on The Office and her latest red carpet appearance. Novak replied sweetly, “I like both.”
Sparking Speculation
Novak got fans hot and bothered after he left a flirty comment on Kaling’s Instagram post where she showed off her first Vogue cover in December 2020. “Check your DMs,” he wrote. “Sliding in the Dms,” one follower commented along with the eyes emoji, while another wrote, “They playing with us.”
Team BJ
In December 2020, Kaling weighed in on a Bachelorette fan’s tweet that compared contestant Ben Smith to Novak’s The Office character, Ryan Howard. “Ben from #BacheloretteABC looks like a more attractive Ryan from the office. @bjnovak @mindykaling,” the user wrote, while the actress responded, “Sorry I’m team temp on this one.”
Ho, Ho, Ho
Kaling told Tory Burch in December 2020 that Novak planned to dress up as Santa Claus for a photo op during the coronavirus pandemic. “This is the whole ruse that we’re going to do, and this might become a tradition,” she explained at the time. “Her godfather is B.J. Novak, and he is going to show up and go to our living room, where the tree is, in a Santa costume. Just so you know, we’re Hindu and B.J. is Jewish, so this is, like, cultural appropriation on our part.”
Still a Duo
The besties attended the Vanity Fair Oscar Party together in March 2022.
Dress-Up Friends
The Sex Lives of College Girls creator dressed up like Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar in May 2022. Novak, for his part, took outfit inspiration from More Caps For Sale by Ann Marie Mulhearn Sayer and Esphyr Slobodkina.
Red Carpet Pals
Kaling supported her bestie on the Los Angeles red carpet for his film Vengeance in July 2022. In addition to writing and starring in the film, the comedy is the first feature film Novak has directed.
Clarifying the Speculation
In August 2022, Kaling weighed in on fan rumors claiming her ex-boyfriend was the father of her two kids. “It doesn’t bother me,” she told Marie Claire. “He’s the godparent to both my kids — and they have such a great relationship.”
All-Star Godfather
Kaling took her daughter to the Griffith Observatory in August 2022 for a “star party” and some “Saturn spotting,” thanking her former Office costar for sharing his “passion for astronomy” with her little one.
“We kept her up way past her bedtime and it was worth it, even though it was cloudy last night,” Kaling captioned a series of posts from the Los Angeles establishment. One of the slides showed an adorable shot of Novak holding Katherine wearing star-patterned leggings as she pointed out to the night sky.
Poking Fun at the Past
“To all the nominees we want to say, congratulations you lazy sons of bitches. How are you getting away with it? We did 22 [episodes] a year. It would take up your whole life,” Kaling joked while presenting an award at the 2022 Emmys with Novak. “[There] was no time for other projects and no time for a social life. You had no choice but to form complicated relationships with your costars.”
Snapping Selfies
In October 2022, the pair attended the 2nd Annual Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Gala together. Following the event, Kaling posted a series of snaps from the event via Instagram, including a selfie with Novak.
The Office alums posed in front of a white role wall backdrop, with the Mindy Project star donning a sparkly, navy blue gown, while the Vengeance star rocked an all-black suit.
Part of the Family
Kaling called Novak a “wonderful friend” during a December 2022 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I was on a date once and B.J. Novak sat down and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I was on a date with him. He’s so attractive. Why is he not with Mindy Kaling? I wanna be with Mindy Kaling. Why are they not together?'” the 50 First Dates actress teased.
The Sex Lives of College Girls creator quipped that her BFF would be “so excited” about the talk show host’s opinion of him. “He loves [my] children and they’re so attached to him. He’s really part of our family,” she continued. “But we’ve known each other for a long, long time and I think anyone who’s been friends with someone for 18, 19 years and at one point dated and now doesn’t, they maybe understand this. You have exes that you wouldn’t necessarily marry now.”
Remembering Their ‘Reckless Idiots’ Era
During the 34th annual Producers Guild Awards in February 2023, Novak honored Kaling with the Norman Lear Achievement Award. “The first thing I noticed about Mindy in that writers room is that she cared so much about everything,” Novak said. “We were in love with each other, and we were reckless idiots, and the two of us would argue about all of these things, forever grinding the writers room into a halt until we got too upset and we go to our respective offices and slammed the door where we would continue arguing over AOL and instant messenger. It was 2005.”
He continued: “Now, it would be tempting to tie all this together by saying how much Mindy grew up or changed since those early days. But what’s more important is how much she didn’t change. No matter how much pressure she felt, how silly or self-conscious she could have been to care so much about so many things, especially when some of those things had never been on television before. She knows a lot about producing now, but she was great at it even before she did because she’s a great producer for the same reason that many people, including her, are great parents right away. She cares so much that she either knows what to do or finds out fast.”
When Mindy accepted the honor, she thanked Novak for his friendship. “I am so lucky that my favorite writer is also my best friend, I love you,” she said.
In Each Other’s Lives
“I want to have a tacit policy in my house that you can help yourself. You don’t even need to get a napkin or a plate. Just get a snack. My dear friend B.J. Novak will come over whenever he’s in town, and he never says he’ll stay for a meal, but he always eats a meal’s worth of snacks,” Kaling told Better Homes & Gardens in May 2023. “I’m not going to pin this on him because I love snacks, too. But we always make sure we have little crunchy snacks out for him … So, great snacks! That, to me, is what makes my house feel like a home.”
Uncle B Turns 44!
“Happy birthday, Uncle B! We love you! 🎉 @bjnovak,” Kaling wrote via Instagram in July 2023 alongside a car selfie of the twosome. The birthday boy, meanwhile, confessed, “No party is as fun as the car ride home with you.”
Holiday Surprises
Kaling divulged on a December 2024 broadcast of Good Morning America that Novak dresses up as Santa Claus to surprise her three children each year.
“We create this whole thing where we’re making hot chocolate in the house, the doorbell rings and it’s him dressed as Santa,” Kaling gushed. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, the sleigh broke down, I need to come in and take a rest while we refuel!’ The kids get to meet Santa and he asks them if they’ve been good or bad. Then he leaves, and they’re so excited. But [for] the 7-year-old, it’s going to be interesting this year because I feel like she might not buy it. The 4-year-old, we’re not sure.”
Kaling added, “They know him very well, especially. He’s a good actor, but … this is going to be the year where we hope the oldest one will be chill for the younger two.”
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