Mindy Kaling has spoken out about the online backlash she faces over her dramatic weight loss, acknowledging that while scrutiny is unpleasant, she understands it from a pop culture fan's perspective. In an interview with Bustle, the actress and producer said, 'It's sometimes no fun when one of your favorite actors loses weight. You have an idea of what they were like when you grew attached to them, and it made them endear themselves to you.'
Kaling explained that her weight loss was driven by health concerns rather than vanity. 'Do I wake up every day being like, “I look amazing and I’m so gorgeous”? No, unsurprisingly, but I truly feel so healthy,' she said. 'When I was younger, I would want to lose weight because of vanity reasons. Now I want to lose weight or have lost weight because I want to stave off things like diabetes. I had it on both sides of my family, and trying to avoid those kinds of things will, I think, help longevity for me, and that’s my goal.'
The star, who has two children, said she needed to get in shape to 'live at least 20 more years' for them. Kaling previously told People in 2023 that she ignores body-shaming comments, calling the attention 'flattering' but 'a little much.'
Kaling is currently co-creator and executive producer of Netflix's comedy series Running Point, starring Kate Hudson. The show's second season debuted on April 23 and has been renewed for a third. Her next series, Not Suitable for Work, arrives on Hulu in June.
