Mindy Kaling

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mindy Kaling

• Does Mindy Kaling smoke?: Yes

• Does Mindy Kaling drink alcohol?: Yes

• Kaling’s parents are from India, they met while working at the same hospital in Nigeria. Her father is of Tamil heritage, and her mother is Bengali.

• Kaling’s parents immigrated to the United States in 1979, the same year Kaling was born.

• In 2012, Kaling’s mother died of pancreatic cancer.

• At the time of pregnancy, her mother enjoyed the show “Mork and Mindy” and decided to name her after it.

• Kaling has never been called Vera, her first name and has always been referred to as Mindy. According to her, the name ‘Vera’ is the name of the incarnation of a Hindu goddess.

• When Kaling was 19, she was an intern at ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’ (a talk show).

• Kaling’s first big break was a show that she wrote for and starred in called ‘Matt and Ben.’

• During Matt & Ben’s off-Broadway run, Kaling accidentally broke Brenda Wither’s nose.

• Apart from her work in films and television, Kaling has written two New York Times best-selling memoirs titled ‘Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?’ and ‘Why Not Me?.’

• In 2013, Kaling was identified as one of the “50 Coolest and Most Creative Entertainers” in Hollywood by EW magazine.

• In the same year, ‘TIME‘ magazine named her one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

• In 2014, Kaling was named one of ‘Glamour’ magazine’s Women of the Year.

• Kaling is the first Indian-American to have her own network show.

• Kaling has been a 1% owner of Swansea City A.F.C., an English Football League Championship soccer team based in Swansea, Wales.