Mindy Kaling, known for her versatility in both acting and writing, was honored on Tuesday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the ceremony, her longtime friend and The Office co-star, B.J. Novak, gave a speech that both celebrated Kaling’s achievements and humorously acknowledged her fondness for fame.
Novak joked about Kaling’s comfort with being in the spotlight, even if it’s a part of the job she hadn’t necessarily anticipated. “Mindy respects and understands this in a very intuitive way,” he said. “In addition to being a brilliant and wildly successful showrunner, an incredible mother-of-three, a caring daughter, friend, and mentor, Mindy is also, in her spare time, very superficial.”
He continued to praise Kaling, adding that while her loved ones always knew she would be famous, they never expected her to handle the pressures of fame so gracefully. “We had no idea how beautifully you’d handle the job,” Novak said.
During her speech, Kaling took a moment to express her gratitude to Novak. “He is such an important and integral part of my family that sometimes I forget the reason I know him is because we work together professionally,” she said, playfully admitting, “I’m as starstruck by him now at age 29 as I was when I first met you at 24.”
Kaling, 45, is best known for her role as Kelly Kapoor on The Office from 2005 to 2013. She also served as a writer and executive producer on the series. Her career has since expanded to include The Mindy Project, which she created, wrote, and starred in, as well as her work on HBO’s Sex Lives of College Girls. Kaling has also starred in films like Late Night, A Wrinkle in Time, and Ocean’s 8.
In true Kaling fashion, she humorously proved Novak’s point during her speech. “I’m just gonna force myself to be in the moment,” she said, laughing. “I’m so happy. I love recognition, and this is just incredibly nice.”
