As an actor, writer and producer, Mindy Kaling has a long list of accomplishments attached to her name — but being a mom of two might be her most cherished achievement.
“The Office” alum has a 6-year-old daughter, Katherine, and a 3-year-old son, Spencer.
She has shared snaps on social media of Katherine, who is known as Kit to family and friends, playing with Spencer and more adorable pictures of the siblings attending school together. Although she posts photos of them from time to time, Kaling always conceals their faces to protect their privacy.
In a recent interview with TODAY.com, Kaling gushed about her children’s close bond.
She recalled Spencer recently waking up from a nap and requesting to see his sister.
“She sat down next to him and he put his head in her lap and she kissed him,” Kaling shared in March. “Literally, all you want as a parent are these glimmers of hope that your children will get along with each other unprompted.”
She continued, “When they’re (asked) ‘Who is your best friend?’ they say each other, and that is incredibly moving.”
The “Never Have I Ever” creator also revealed in her chat with TODAY.com that her son, who was named after actor Spencer Tracy, has a nickname, too. But he’s still getting used to it.
“Spike is something we’re trying to get going. People tend to call him Spence or Spencey, but I prefer Spike,” she said.
Kaling added, “The problem is …. he’s not a Spike. He’s one of the sweetest little boys and Spike has the connotations of kind of like a punky energy.”
The proud mom has never identified the father of children. Close friend and former “The Office” co-star B.J. Novak is the godfather to both her children and she has spoken about the special connection he shares with them.
Read on to learn more about Kaling’s two children and what she has said about them.
Katherine ‘Kit’ Kaling
On Dec. 15, 2017, E! News reported that Kaling welcomed her first child: Katherine “Kit” Kaling.
A few years later, the “Mindy Project” star told People that her daughter’s name is a tribute to Katharine Hepburn.
“I just tried to pick classic names that felt like they would have to work really hard to get mad at me about later,” she told the publication.
In October 2020, Kaling stopped by TODAY and spoke about her daughter’s friendship with Novak.
“You know, he said the funniest thing because he’s so attached to my older child, my daughter,” Kaling told Jenna Bush Hager. “When I said, you know, ‘B.J., if something happens to me, it’s not like I have a husband, like you have to just take the kids.’ And he’s like ‘Oh, my God, don’t tempt me.’”
She said Novak is committed to his role as a godfather.
“He said the funniest thing, he was like, ‘Can you sue for god-paternity rights?’” Kaling shared. “He just loves her so much.”
Novak and his goddaughter enjoyed a night at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles in August 2022 where they gazed at the stars. Kaling uploaded photos from their star party in a since-deleted Instagram post. She said it was “the best night” of Kit’s life.
Kaling has shared other special moments with Kit on Instagram, as well.
In August 2023, the mother-daughter duo visited SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, to see Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour,” marking Kit’s first-ever concert.
“She swapped friendship bracelets all night and got to hear her favorite Taylor song live, "Cruel Summer!" It was such a magical night,” Kaling wrote in the caption, in part.
The next month, Kaling took Kit to school for her first day of kindergarten. Kaling uploaded a photo of her daughter carrying a pink, purple and yellow backpack that said “Kit” on it.
“First day of kindergarten! How is she so big!” she wrote in the caption.
For Kit’s birthday last year, Kaling penned a sweet tribute next to photos from their trip to Disneyland.
“How are you 6 years old, Kit?!” she asked. “I remember when you were a newborn and I took you home from Cedars and you looked at me like ‘does this lady even know what she’s doing?’ And I didn’t!”
She added, “But now you’re 6 and every single day you bring me so much joy. Like most recently now you love shout-singing @aliciakeys ‘THIS. GIRL. IS. ON. FIYYYAAHHH!!’ You are on fire. I love you.”
Kaling shared some more fun facts about her daughter when speaking to TODAY.com in March.
She praised Kit for being “very interested in order and structure.”
“She’s Type A in that way, and I really like that about her,” she said. She also said her daughter likes stories about “dramatic situations” and “people fighting against injustice.”
Spencer ‘Spike’ Kaling
For her first pregnancy, Kaling didn’t reveal she was expecting until she confirmed the news on TODAY about four months prior to giving birth. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, Kaling was able to keep her pregnancy with her son private until after she welcomed her son, Spencer “Spike” Kaling.
During an appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in October 2020, she revealed she recently became a mom of two.
“I’m telling it for the first time now. It feels so strange, but I gave birth to a baby boy on September 3,” Kaling announced.
Stephen Colbert replied, “No one even knew you were pregnant!”
Kaling said, “I know! This is news to a lot of people. It’s true.”
She has posted a few photos and videos of the toddler growing up throughout the years.
On his second birthday on Sept. 3, 2022, she uploaded a cute video of him dancing in his crib and waving at his shadow on the wall. “Hi!” he repeatedly said.
“Happy 2nd birthday to my son Spencer, who is the human personification of a hug,” Kaling said in the caption. “I can’t describe the intense joy it is to be your mom. You remind this old cynical lady that the world is full of wonder, and fun can be found in the most mundane places. Here Spencer is greeting his friend, the morning shadow in his crib.”
When it was Kaling’s birthday on June 24, 2023, she celebrated by posting a now-deleted picture that showed her children walking around and rolling suitcases. She credited them for helping her become “the healthiest” version of herself.
“Look, I know I’m clearly materialistic but the best birthday gift to me, for the rest of my life, are these two guys,” she said in the caption.
She acknowledged she “was never a ‘kid’ person” until her mom died.
“When my mom passed though, it just clicked in me: I wanted kids with such intense certainty. I bet some of you can relate. Now I’m just trying to be present for them (hard for me! I’m impatient!), being up for anything (again hard for me, I am not whimsical!), and stay healthy for these two guys (ALSO hard! I just want to eat cheesesteaks every meal in front of the TV) for until I’m an old gray skeleton they’re like ‘mom, you gotta go,’” she joked.
On Nov. 23, 2023, Thanksgiving Day, she shared a photo of her children curiously looking out a window in Manhattan.
For Christmas 2023, the family of three took a trip to the beach. Kaling uploaded a snap of Kit and Spike playing in the sand and staring at the waves. “A broken plastic shovel, a cement mixer, a @harrypotter wand from @katelinden + the beach at sunset was a terrific Christmas! Merry Christmas to all!” she wrote on Dec. 25, 2023.
With that adorable photo, it is hard, as Kaling told TODAY.com in March, to picture her son going by Spike. But she said she thinks he will grow into the nickname as he gets older.
She also marveled at how fast her son is growing when speaking to TODAY.com.
“His language has really taken off,” she shared.