B. J. Novak is opening up about his relationship with Mindy Kaling’s kids, and the details are precious. Novak is the godfather to all three of her children, Katherine, Spencer, and Anne. For years, there's been speculation that he is their biological father, which she has kept private. Regardless, he is clearly a steady presence in their lives.
© Evan AgostiniIn a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Novak shared that Kaling’s 8-year-old daughter, Katherine “Kit,” had a very specific request.
“Her 8-year-old daughter recently said she wished they lived at my house,” he said. When he asked why, her answer was simple, “It’s like a little house in the country.”
© GettyNovak's been in the same midcentury home in the Hollywood Hills since 2011. “I live in a Midcentury house in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of L.A. I wanted one with a view but not up a creepy road with coyotes and Charles Manson acolytes,” he joked.
It seems like Kit is a fan of keeping things simple because he's kept it the same for years. “I no longer believe in [renovations]. You’re better off falling in love with your home’s quirks and just enjoying them.”
That same mindset seems to carry over into his relationship with Kaling. Novak calls her his “best friend,” and the two still talk every day.
© GettyKaling has always kept her kids out of the spotlight, rarely sharing details and never showing their faces publicly. But she has addressed the constant speculation around Novak and their relationship.
“It doesn’t bother me,” she said in a 2022 interview with Marie Claire. “So far [the speculation hasn’t] affected my happiness at all; it hasn’t affected my kids or BJ.” She added, “If that’s what is going to be titillating to people, I’ll take it.”
Over time, the dynamic between them has shifted into something more grounded. “The truth is that BJ is so much more like family now than a platonic friend,” she told Good Housekeeping in 2019. “He’s the godfather to my daughter, and he comes over like once a week. Sometimes he’ll come over just to hang out with her.”
© GettyMindy's motherhood journey
Kaling has also been open about motherhood in a broader sense, especially when it comes to having options. She was 38 when she had her first child, 41 with her second, and 44 with her third. She kept her pregnancies hidden and out of the public eye. “I wish every 19-year-old girl would come home from college and that the gift…is that their parents would take them to freeze their eggs,” she said.
“They could do that once and have all these eggs for them, for their futures…to focus in your twenties and thirties on your career, and yes, love, but to know that when you’re emotionally ready, and, if you don’t have a partner, you can still have children.”
