Mindy Kaling

Amy Poehler hosts fellow comedian and writer-producer Mindy Kaling on Good Hang for a wide-ranging conversation about their parallel careers in comedy, the challenges of being women in male-dominated writers' rooms, and the evolution of female representation in entertainment. The episode opens with Avantika, star of Kaling's new Hulu series Not Suitable for Work, describing how Kaling mentored her and represented possibility for young Indian women in entertainment. Poehler and Kaling, both Boston-area natives who came up through sketch and improv comedy, discuss their early careers including Kaling's breakthrough play Matt and Ben and her eight years on The Office. Most significantly, Kaling confirms she wrote more Office episodes than any other writer despite being listed as character number 11 on the call sheet for nearly a decade. The conversation takes a vulnerable turn when Kaling reveals her mother warned her at age 14 not to become like Chris Farley, fearing her overweight daughter would resort to physical clowning for acceptance. Both women share stories of offensive international press junkets at Cannes where European journalists asked shockingly rude questions about their weight and appearance. Kaling discusses creating The Mindy Project as a tribute to her OB-GYN mother and her ambitions to direct films like Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig. The episode concludes with reflections on work-life balance as working mothers and the importance of avoiding activities you genuinely hate rather than trying to be perfect at everything.

• Mindy Kaling confirmed she wrote more episodes of The Office than any other writer despite having minimal screen time for 8 years.
• Kaling revealed her mother explicitly warned her at 14 not to follow Chris Farley's comedy path due to concerns about her weight and acceptance.
• Both Kaling and Poehler described shockingly offensive questions at international press junkets where European journalists asked why fat women could be stars in America.
• Kaling cited Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig as primary inspirations for her goal of transitioning from television to writing and directing feature films.
• The conversation highlighted how women in 1980s-90s comedy faced different standards than men regarding physicality, sexuality, and path to acceptance.
• Kaling discussed creating The Mindy Project partly as tribute to her OB-GYN doctor mother and the world of women's reproductive health.
• Avantika described Kaling as mentor figure who took her to lunch at 17 after Instagram DM and now employs her on Not Suitable for Work.