Mindy Kaling’s Parents Once Played Her On-Screen Parents in 'The Office' — All About Them

Actor Mindy Kaling is very open when it comes to her passion projects, like the short film Anuja or the books she considers real "page-turners," like The Rules of Fortune, but she keeps the details around her personal life hush.

For starters, Mindy hasn’t revealed the biological father of her three kids — Katherine Swati, Spencer Avu, and Anne — though many believe it is her friend and ex-boyfriend, B.J. Novak, regardless of what she says. And what about her parents?

The interest in her personal life only grew when Vogue India celebrated Mindy receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in mid-February 2025 with an Instagram Stories post, pointing out that she is the first South Asian woman to get a star.

While Mindy hasn’t been completely mum about her parents, folks know little about them. So, we’re here to fill you in.

Mindy Kaling is the daughter of Avu and Swati Chokalingam. Her mother, Avu, passed away in 2012 after a battle with pancreatic cancer but led a very successful life before that as an obstetrician.

In a 2017 interview with Stylist, Mindy recalled visiting her mom’s office, an obstetrics and gynecology practice, when she was around the age of six. Mindy remembers bringing a typewriter along and spending time there after school. While seated in the phlebotomy room, she would type plays, which her parents would then read and provide feedback on.

Although Mindy was very close with her parents, her drive and desire to be an entertainer eventually took precedence. She had to leave her parents and brother, Vijay, in Cambridge, Mass., to attend Dartmouth College, where she earned a playwriting degree, according to her Stylist interview.

As for Mindy’s father, it’s clear he had a huge impact on her, and likely still does. When asked in her Stylist interview if he was a feminist, she admitted, "I think he would probably have to identify as such," though she noted the term itself might make him feel "a little uncomfortable." Still, it was "the way that he has advised me to lead my life" that prompted the question and elicited her response.

Mindy’s parents not only played an integral role in shaping who she is today, but they also contributed to her work as a screenwriter and actor. In The Office episode titled "Diwali," which aired on Nov. 2, 2006, Kelly Kapoor’s (Mindy’s character) parents are portrayed by her real-life parents. The reason? It wasn’t about preference or favoritism.

During a 2020 episode of The Office Ladies podcast, Mindy revealed that she and showrunner Greg Daniels auditioned other actors, but no one quite fit the bill — some were too "theatrical" or their acting was too "stilted." While Mindy admitted her parents were "also very stilted," Greg said, "At least they bear some familial resemblance to you. So, we’ll put them in there."

At least now Mindy has a piece of entertainment history with her parents she can hold onto forever.