Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Mindy Kaling (b. 1979) is an American writer, producer, actor, and director. Kaling grew up in an Indian immigrant family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Kaling was a serious student who enjoyed spending time with her family and watching comedy on the weekends with her best friend Mavis. The writer cites shows like Frasier, Kids in the Hall, and Saturday Night Live for developing her interest in comedy. Kaling and Mavis rehearsed sketches they saw on television but also wrote and recorded their own.

Kaling attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols and Dartmouth College, where she graduated with a playwriting degree. While in university, the actor participated in an improvisational group called The Dog Day Players and an a cappella group. While at Dartmouth, Kaling worked as an intern on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, fulfilling a lifelong dream. After college, she moved to New York City to pursue acting and writing work. She found a job as a production assistant on the show Crossing Over with John Edwards, referred to in her memoir as Bridging the Underworld with Mac Teegarden. The show featured a psychic medium who gave readings to audience members. Kaling fielded phone calls from individuals who formerly appeared on the show and wanted to talk more about their experience. She notes in her memoir that these conversations were helpful to her as a comedy writer.

In 2002, Kaling acted in and produced a play with her roommate and friend Brenda Withers called Matt & Ben, loosely based on the actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The play was a success and was named one of Time magazine’s “Top Ten Theatrical Events of the Year.” After a meeting with Greg Daniels, Kaling was offered the opportunity to write for six episodes on a new adaptation of a UK television show called The Office. Kaling stayed with the show until 2011; during her time there, she acted, wrote, directed, and produced. Why Not Me?, the follow-up to Kaling’s first book, explores her time on the show in further detail.

Kaling’s career has expanded since her time on The Office. She wrote and produced a successful Fox show called The Mindy Project and was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” in 2013. She has made appearances in, or lent her voice to, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Despicable Me, Wreck-It Ralph, Inside Out, A Wrinkle in Time, Ocean’s 8, Sesame Street, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and others. She has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and six Emmy Awards.