Mindy Kaling Understands Why We All Think That About Her And B.J. Novak

Mindy Kaling appeared on the cover of Bustle, and you would never guess what relationship came up. Yep, that guy! Her ex-coworker/ex-lover, B.J. Novak.

Kaling and Novak dated from 2004 to 2007, and 20 years later, we still haven’t found proper closure…But! They gave us reasons to be suspicious. Case in point: Kaling has never revealed the father of her three children, Novak has no children if his own but is the godfather to all three of Kaling’s, (her kids call him “Fofo”), and she told the outlet that Novak still calls her “soup snake,” which is an Office reference translating to “soulmates.” (They wrote the show, so I guess they’re still allowed to reference it in 2026). And after 20 years of this speculation, Kaling is finally validating our suspicions.

“He really is in our family,” she told Bustle, “and I love talking about him because my kids adore him, and he’s such a huge part of our life. But I also know that it gives people a lot of ideas. If I was just watching it from the outside, I would have the same questions and the same reactions.” It’s not a proper closure, but it’s nice to be validated today. 

Kaling also told the outlet she is not currently seeing anyone, and she is happy that way: “It is crazy for someone like me, who only wrote about the pursuit of romance for so much of my life, to be very happy and content without a partner.” Still, she isn’t the only one talking about her “soup snake” to the press.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month, Novak addressed the rumors with his new favorite mantra: “let them.” He, like many other 20-something irresponsible women, recently discovered “The Let Them Theory,” a social theory popularized by podcaster Mel Robbins that is pretty much a repackaging of the idea that you can’t control other people’s actions, only your own (so just “let them.” Get it?). 

“They ask me about my life, I answer,” Novak added, “and that’s the only thing they want to write a story about? Let them. I’m not going to tell someone that the question is off-limits. Let them,” Novak added. Let them! 

The word on the street as of April 2025 was that Novak was dating the internet comedienne Delaney Rowe, who cut her teeth making TikTok skits about the “insufferable female lead” in indie movies. In June, Rowe hinted on a podcast that she was “the problem” in the relationship. But after second thought, maybe the “problem” in the relationship is that her boyfriend discovered the “Let Them Theory” at the ripe age of 46.

In 2026, do I still think Novak is the father of Kaling’s children? Maybe not, but he’s definitely playing the role of some kind of distant father figure, and they aren’t doing the best job dissuading us from thinking otherwise. 

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• Celebrity row at the Knicks game last night: Timothée Chalamet, Lenny Kravitz, Ben Stiller, and Michael J. Fox. [NBA]
• …and a pregnant Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbott! [Just Jared]
• …and Chalamet’s mustache has been removed from the premises. [People]

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