Everything We Know About Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak's Relationship
Highlights
- Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak's relationship is "weird as hell," described as a romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments.
- They have an unusual bond that has caused difficulties in their dating lives, with others being intimidated by their close connection.
- Although they won't be getting back together romantically, their friendship has deepened over time, and Novak is even the godfather to Kaling's daughter.
Since starring in The Office together, Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak have been coworkers, romantic partners, and friends. Although they are now just close friends, audiences are still fascinated about their relationship and whether they are still together. BJ Novak, who is the godfather of Kaling's daughter, has said that it's fun being Mindy's best friend whilst she admits their relationship is "romantically charged."
It doesn't look like the pair will rekindle their love, but it doesn't mean we aren't still fascinated (and a little jealous) by their dynamic. Many fans and internet sleuths are sure that there is something else going on, behind the scenes. So why are we so intrigued by their relationship and want to know if BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling will get back together?
9 Have Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak Ever Dated?
Fans aren't the only ones confused about Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak's relationship status. In a 2012 interview with Vulture, BJ Novak admitted that he and The Mindy Project's Mindy Kaling never really knew if they were dating or not.
"No one, including us, ever really knew, 'Is this dating? Is this not dating?' We were never really dating, we were never really not dating. We didn't know. No one knew," he explained. "All you'd know for sure was that you'd always find one of us next to the other, even if we weren't getting along."
8 BJ Novak Once Broke Up With Mindy Kaling
During a 2014 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Mindy Kaling revealed that BJ Novak once broke up with her, leaving her devastated. "It was years and years ago that that breakup happened," she told the host. "I was so sad, not angry, sad."
When Stern asked her if she would have married him if he proposed, she replied, "At the time? Yeah. I was 24. For the record, if anyone asked me to marry them, I would have said yes." Kaling and Novak have never married.
"I love him, and I think he's a great person, but I'm not holding a candle for BJ," she added.
7 Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak Admit They Have An Unusual Relationship
In a 2015 interview with InStyle, Mindy Kaling spoke about her "weird as hell" relationship with BJ Novak.
"I will freely admit: My relationship with BJ Novak is weird as hell," she admitted. "He is not my boyfriend, but he is not my best friend. I guess you could describe our relationship as a 'romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments,' but I don't think Facebook would accept this as a new status."
With comments like this, it is no wonder that people are rooting for them and their romance.
In a 2015 interview with The Guardian,Kaling was asked what she thinks about the fans who want the two of them to end up together.
"When people say that, it makes me feel so cool. Like, oh, people are thinking about me like I'm a character," she told the British newspaper. "We are so different, and we fight a lot, but the gift [Novak] has always given me is the utter and total belief that I am one of the greats. And it is an intoxicating feeling."
6 Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak Struggle With Dating Others
It appears their relationship has gotten in the way of dating. BJ Novak revealed in a 2013 interview with Entertainment Weekly, that anyone who's dated Mindy Kaling or Novak has been intimidated by the pair's unusual relationship.
"We are pretty inseparable best friends with a lot of chemistry ourselves, and we're not dating. Whenever we date anyone else, I think there's a period when the person is very skeptical of our friendship," he told the publication. Neither have had public relationships since their own, leading many to believe they are hiding their romance.
"'Everyone seems to think you two might be a couple, and I don't mean to get in the way. Are you sure you're not dating? Are you sure you're not going to end up dating?' It's such a common thing to have that platonic best friend that becomes a little weird when you start dating someone."
5 Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak's Relationship Mimics Fictional The Office Romance
BJ Novak has spoken that the pair's real-life relationship often inspired Kelly and Ryan's on The Office. Mindy Kaling was a writer on the show, which she starred as the needy Kelly Kapoor. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of 22 of the Emmy Award-winning show's episodes.
"Sometimes viewers would ask, 'Are Ryan and Kelly together right now, not together?' It's not even that I wouldn't know. I thought the question was missing the point." Novak said. "Write whatever you want. So, Kelly needed a boyfriend this week, so Ryan goes on a date. Ryan and Kelly are getting engaged ... I think it was sort of expressive of the relationship that we were in."
"In real life, I think we just essentially grew up, and it became more of a transition," he said about their breakup, the same could not be said for Kelly and Ryan's messy relationship breakdown.
4 Will Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak Get Together?
Sadly for fans of the pair, it looks like they won't be rekindling their romance any time soon. During a 2019 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, show Mindy Kaling spoke about their former romance and how it is unlikely to be renewed.
"I've known him for 16 years," she said. "We met each other when we were 24, and now we're both going to be 40 in about a month ... Anyone who's known each other for that long, I think it's nice, I like when people ... think it's more romantic or sparkly or interesting than it is."
"It isn't, I think, the thing that people sometimes think it is. But he's really part of my family now, which is great," she said. "... Even though that's less of a sexy characterization of our relationship, I think it's a deeper and a closer one."
3 Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak Have A Close Relationship
In that same CBS interview, Mindy Kaling revealed "It's still nice. We do spend a lot of time together, and it's a great blessing in my life."
BJ Novak told Bustle that, "It's really fun to be her BFF. It is a fantastic relationship with a lot of shorthand. I feel so lucky that I get a brilliant text from Mindy Kaling, like, once an hour. It's like something you'd win at an auction — Mindy Kaling will blow up your phone!" They are so close that she was pictured on the set of Novak's new movie, Vengeance.
He said something similar to Elle in 2014, "She's a gangster. And guys respond to that. This is not a girl who waits by the phone. This is a girl who picks up the phone and calls whoever she wants."
2 BJ Novak Is Godfather To Mindy Kaling's Daughter
Although many believed that BJ Novak was the father of Mindy Kaling's daughter, he is actually Godfather to her daughter, Katherine. She has never revealed who the father of her children is.
"The truth is that BJ is so much more like family now than a platonic friend. He's the godfather to my daughter, he comes over like once a week. Sometimes he'll come over just to hang out with her," she told Good Housekeeping in 2019.
"When I said, you know, 'BJ, if something happens to me, it's not like I have a husband, like you have to just take the kids.' And he's like 'Oh, my god, don't tempt me,'" she revealed about Novak's relationship with Katherine.
She appears unconcerned about the rumors of BJ fathering her children. "It doesn't bother me," she said. "He's the godparent to both my kids — and they have such a great relationship — and so far [the rumors haven't] affected my happiness at all, it hasn't affected my kids or BJ."
"He said the funniest thing, he was like, 'Can you sue for god-paternity rights?'" she continued. "... He just loves her so much."
1 Mindy Kaling And BJ Novak Took Her Daughter Stargazing
BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling once again made headlines after she Tweeted a picture of him holding her daughter Katherine 'Kit' Swati. The pair went to the Griffith Observatory for her fourth birthday.
"We kept her up way past her bedtime and it was worth it, even though it was cloudy last night. Thank you @bjnovak for sharing your passion for astronomy and for @orionbearastronomy and @griffithobservatory for a spectacular night!"
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