Mindy Kaling Shares Her Early Experiences in 'The Office' Writers Room

Mindy Kaling describes some of her early experiences writing for 'The Office' and the difference between how she perceived herself versus how her coworkers perceived her.
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[@silverdarcy1684]

Mindy was so convincing as Kelly Kapoor that I almost expected her to be that way IRL. But she's so different. So warm and down to earth. And super creative.

[@drxhunter]

You should see Meredith/Kate then!

[@prototype8137]

Lol...

[@kevinberger3501]

I’m sure Kelly would’ve been a terrible writer. She probably would try to base a script on a Cosmo quiz 😂

[@someshwarrao42]

Watch Late Night. Mindy is great in that as well.

[@yderga8707]

I've known real life Kelly Kapoors, shes an excellent acress.

[@bergerman487]

I still remember that Ryan used her as an object.

[@pedrofredo]

And that Michael wanted her to buy his cookie cookie

[@mbmd_nation]

@@pedrofredo gookie gookie

[@iloveyoufor10000years]

first of all.... how dare you

[@jponchor9792]

Yeah but in the end he finally mastered commitment

[@jponchor9792]

@Alan Brown That's what she said

[@rudyp2201]

"I was making 500 dollars a week, but I felt like I owned the city." Now thats called having a rich life.

[@drjaymes18]

2,000$ a month is really good tbh... for the average person for sure

[@1SqueakyWheel]

Again... the point of this comment was richness in happiness, not wealth.

[@E_MZ_]

dr jaymes 2,000 a month ain’t jack. But I think op meant that she had a rich life because she was fulfilled.

[@hannahrachelabraham2049]

I think she said she SPENT 500 a week

[@-lines-8256]

Hannah Rachel Abraham Are you braindead?

[@gabbyizcool8433]

“Uh yeah I have a question number one how dare you?”

[@moyeen8823]

He couldn't hear it all the way from Thailand !

[@gringo420]

Mindy was actually one of the very best writers on the show. Every episode that she has writing credits on I have died laughing at.

[@Janette388]

I wonder what jokes did she wrote lol

[@RemixedVoice]

@@Janette388 one episode I know she wrote is when Michael grills his foot on his bacon grille lol

[@jacksonplaysgames4612]

RemixedVoice wait she did that wow she is a good writer

[@paytonpost8851]

Jackson Pactson she wrote the episode where stanley yelled at ryan when stanley brought his daughter to work

[@jacksonplaysgames4612]

Payton Post oh my god what’s other shows has she written I need to watch more

[@sanjaypallur6098]

Epic "Nooooooooooo" from Michael.. was also written by Mindy Kaling

[@Njbear7453]

Some of the best episodes were written by mindy AND BJ! “The fire”, “chair model”

[@psq6214]

Kelly Kapoor said “No one does anything for me anymore unless i threaten to kill myself” and i live by that.

[@brennam954]

"Usually I just freak out and tell someone I'm pregnant."

[@razkable]

jim: we are going to have to let you go micheal scott: i am going to kill myself(bashes desk hard)....i am going to kill myself and its your fault words to live by

[@DevyanshBahri]

That’s extremely unhealthy and toxic

[@brennam954]

@@DevyanshBahri That's a quote from her character on the show. Not a quote from her in real life. Yes, she's unhealthy and toxic on the show, but that's who her character is supposed to be.

[@DevyanshBahri]

@@brennam954 yep I know this person talking about her character from the show, but what this person’s comment is saying is that they live their actual life in that way: “and I live by that”

[@aberick4175]

"Ryan used me as an object"

[@jshepard152]

Ryan treats objects like women, man.

[@wolverineiscool7161]

and men like watches

[@razkable]

i always loved how ryan would respond to kelly's emotions like oh come on like jan with michael lol..it was so funny to me..like please not now not the time oh michael and oh kelly

[@elliinspace]

Her and bj novak’s freindship is my favourite thing ever

[@wolverineiscool7161]

they are a couple in real life too

[@cuntcunty9339]

@@wolverineiscool7161 were

[@greenjeans7504]

He’s definitely baby daddy.

[@ayshazaheen3402]

@@wolverineiscool7161 they aren't They dated briefly in the early office days. Now they're basically families.

[@Ryan-pg1tw]

@@greenjeans7504 i think they are both good friends

[@nobIzAwSomEEEEE]

It's funny that the mastermind of the series is such an airhead in the show

[@Njbear7453]

Yup, she & BJ are huge factors of the behind the scenes of the office especially the writing aspect

[@Caprizonica]

Towards te end of The Office I remeber saying, "I´d watch a spinoff of Kelly and Erin". And it was them who got their own shows.

[@jams3697]

Theres also unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix Erin is in that

[@adlofheltirchiefadvisortot40]

Foreigner theres a few that almost had spinoffs- "the farm" with dwight almost happened (would have been the real office spinoff).. i could see a ryan & kelly spinoff, along the lines of mad about you... would love to have seen a creed spin off too :)

[@AJphilpo]

I watch Angela and her husband on their KZbin channel, they’re really entertaining😊

[@mattb5881]

Erin was my least favourite main character

[@ballaking1000]

@@mattb5881 Hardly a main character but yeah- I did not like her at all, her pushover-ness was a real turn off that made all her jokes not that funny (which there wasn't a whole lot of to begin with)..

[@SwastikSwarupDas]

Mindy's written episodes were one of the funniest

[@miranda0298]

this is to true! some of my all time favourite episodes are written by Mindy. Niagara, The Injury, etc.

[@Njbear7453]

And BJ’s

[@Njbear7453]

BJ and mindy’s minds carried the show

[@ToutCQJM]

Kelly Kapoor was so self-absorbed and annoying. I really wished to see more of her. She was such a favorite of mine.

[@geckogeico2212]

I can't tell if this is an insult or a compliment...

[@zurzakne-etra7069]

I didn't know where you were going with that sentence...

[@Fredaten]

I’m confusion

[@matthewmondilla6752]

@@geckogeico2212 It means that the actress fared the character so well. Sometimes we need characters like this to make the show more polarizing.

[@Miumiu0404]

I'm getting April (Parks and Rec) vibes in here.

[@TheGayceatron]

I SO appreciate these interviews, especially when you interview women....I feel like this is literally the only time we see female stars asked questions about their career, rather than who they're dating, what's their ideal date, how do you juggle work and being a mom, etc etc.

[@evanmerryman841]

Lacey Thiessen Writers in general are asked more in depth questions than actors

[@MissNayNay]

Lacey, I completely agree. It's so refreshing.

[@tRapdontRap]

This is such a stereotypical thing to say its ridiculous. Any small interview like this they ask real questions. You're just to use to watching interviews on the cable network where they never ask anything real cause sheep like you would get angry

[@dunhill919]

That's pathetic.. you really tried to make this one about gender? grow up

[@claytonbrown7120]

McFozan Trumptard alert 🚨

[@W.L.Customs]

Without Mindy, The Office wouldn’t be the same! I seriously love her acts there.

[@emmacoates2411]

She is "cool as hell!" Mindy is one of my role models.

[@courtneyleanne6405]

I love her!

[@felipec.5403]

Do whatever you want to your body.

[@tRapdontRap]

She was my least favorite character in the office by far. Never really found her character funny. But she did write alot of funny shit for the show

[@Anna18715]

John uh Jacobs So then you stay ugly bitch

[@stug3719]

@@johnuhjacobs2438 Severe plastic surgery could be practical for playing poker.

[@YTFlove4ever]

I totally get what she is saying! and you can see it in her acting as well how scared and nervous she was in season 1. and she opened up so much in the later seasons to become such a strong character!

[@christined2536]

This is such a great reminder that everyone, even mindy who's just the smartest and coolest ever, has tough times and feels insecure. she's so inspiring I love this and her :))

[@jennamurphy9614]

I think their perception of her has a lot to do with not being used to women who stand their ground. She probably was demure but to them it was "loud".

[@frostyxelectra]

I was sad when I heard her say that. Maybe she doesn’t realize it

[@carolmaciel2908]

Exactly what i thought

[@fracturedude]

Mindy Kaling is one of the geniuses of TV. Her writing/acting is so damn hilarious!!!!

[@rawkrXbabee]

Insane the amount of success she's had, she's so talented! One of my inspirations as a brown girl

[@starshine684]

I thought she bleached her skin.

[@rawkrXbabee]

@@starshine684 what I've never heard of that

[@starshine684]

@@rawkrXbabee oh look it up, she’s having a feud with her family about it.

[@rawkrXbabee]

@@starshine684 I mean I don't blame her, the pressure is probably crazy and we don't know what she goes through being in hollywood. Plus being in a brown family I know darker-skinned family members deal with that pressure from their own mothers and aunties. But yeah that's kind of disappointing.

[@starshine684]

@@rawkrXbabee yeah, I can see why she did it. But it’s just disappointing as well. I hope she it least doesn’t regret her decision. But yeah it’s a little sad.

[@halfeldian]

I love every single Mindy Kaling The Office episodes. She has unreal talents

[@jamesfraley2715]

Sam is the one of the best interviewers today - his level of empathy brings out the truth of these celebrity experiences, but even as he points to Mindy's early successes, she only remembers the tough times and feeling excluded and alone. So funny how we glamorize success in Hollywood, but no matter the level of success in life, it seems we still all share the same insecurities and times of loneliness.

[@Pradeep.Poonia]

Does she want me gooogi gooogi? you want my gooogii googi?

[@sapphiresushi3437]

No one like the comment.... it’s at 69......

[@raisnr8765]

@@sapphiresushi3437 asturd??

[@sapphiresushi3437]

Xddddddd Asturd. Oh my god 😂

[@mistyfreya]

*SLAP*

[@shammi9481]

*slap*

[@hayleypdowd]

I'm happy that she is talking publicly about the old boys club. It's so prevalent and women feel like they can't talk about it because they're best shot is to stay silent and maybe, MAYBE, the boys club will include her once in awhile. To go up against the boys club usually means certain death.

[@EleniBelle]

hayleypdowd exactly! Well said 👏👏

[@colinglen4505]

haleypdowd .. you're actually making the way males interact with other males into a nasty thing. would you prefer the men to start behaving completely differently just because a woman turns up. women are always saying they want to be equal but then moan about males being males when they enter into their world. maybe women need to stop with their persecution complex and just get on with it.

[@RandomPlayIist]

@@colinglen4505 Persecution? The comment above yours is from a guy saying women aren't funny. This is the kind of shit thats prevalent. I'm sure women would love to "get on with it" but there's so many triggered assholes like you around.

[@ikybaiiki]

@A M bollocks 🤣😭 you sir are Liar and a scoundrel.

[@SelimxBradley]

@A M Yeah, I am sure you have. #whiteknight

[@joe4155]

She was nervous and yet she wrote the best episodes of the office

[@alankarjoey258]

"First of all....How dare you"

[@laurenfredette4861]

Wow , disappointed to see so much negativity in the comment section talking about Mindy’s beautiful face!! She is so beautiful and talented and incredibly funny and nobody deserves to be treated with such disrespect. She is an accomplished writer, actress movie star and MOTHER! Put some respect on this amazing queen’s name. I love you Mindy!

[@Katie-hr9fr]

I completely understand that people shouldn't be negative but I also believe that you shouldn't be positive on the situation. Mindy got surgery done because she thought it would make her beautiful, stay young etc. If people are so over positive or in your case say she has a beautiful face, young girls will look at her and think that they need to look like her in order to be beautiful. Of course no one should be judging her on it but we also shouldn't be praising her.

[@jimhudson8533]

Nobody’s disrespecting her we’re just disappointed that she made herself look worse with lip injections.

[@zain4019]

Lauren Fredette I agree. People can often be insensitive to how their comments would make others feel.

[@nba_fan7214]

She's had plastic surgery and skin lightening. I believe she was beautiful before all that.

[@ananyanegi9423]

@@Katie-hr9fr white women do all kind of stuff to their face like botox and lip injections...no one ever makes a big deal about them. People love to pick on brown girls because they dont comply to eurocentric beauty standards

[@Dreamisc]

I don't know how I only discovered this channel now but thank you for putting up quality interviews.

I just finished the office and I’m like crying my life right now. Thank you for existing. Thank you!

[@juanreveles3866]

What made the show so special was that every single actor put his/hers heart it their character. Everyone assimes they are like that in real life.lol

[@MichelleCoxPhotography]

Mindy is amazing... I love her so much!! Especially since reading her books!

[@luxy974]

SHE IS SO BRILLIANT !!!! I LOVE HER

[@magnumbrown78]

I absolutely love her! I could listen to her talk for years!

[@PeopleAdverts]

Totally love her much respect deserves all the Success she gets.

[@Camilajj97]

My favorite character (besides Dwight and Michael) is Kelly Kapoor, she's so incredibly funny! And Mindy wrote my fav episode, The Injury, so I guess I really like her humour.

[@bluedancelilly]

I love her.

[@janpiet6612]

i really like this interviewer it seems like a genuine nice conversation

[@snoozyq9576]

I loved her so much in the Money project. She's great.

[@snoozyq9576]

*Mindy. Damn autocorrect

[@SingleJ]

Music starts/interview wraps up right when she starts to open up!

[@asdabir]

She so smart and cute and cool all at the same time

[@sages6980]

I love her so much

[@jessicalyngkhoi5551]

I love the Mindy project too

[@fatimaahmed3333]

0:10 her foot is at a dangerous angle

[@Andrea-zo4qy]

She's a very admirable woman. I think it takes a certain kind of intelligence to be able to write such iconic comedy.

[@gabrielascarpelli9846]

Love her so much. My favorite female comedian

[@JC-qf1hc]

She directed most of my favourite and the best episodes, great writer

[@jayeetadas6342]

Mindy is great. Love her!

[@meloncreampuffs]

So weird not hearing her Kelly voice! She seems cool irl

[@kamaleinoelle]

Oh my gosh I love her

[@ArgChica]

And now I am realizing Late Nite movie the part about going in with no experience is probably based on that first experience. Life is what you have to write☺

[@HeyItsStephx]

I just watched the movie 'late night' and this reminds me of it so much what she went through irl

[@kaleidoshin]

I've read Mindy's books and I found her so inspiring in the sense that she uses her flavor of humor to talk about being a woman of color breaking into Hollywood and touches on the real difficulties there, but in such a genuine and witty way. As a woman of color with aspirations in the performing arts world she really gives me hope and inspires me. I love that she's out there doing her thing, being herself.

[@StanleyKubick1]

she always comes off super smart and charming. It makes her extremely attractive.

[@StationeryPrincess]

Love herrr

[@gegen_press]

Mindy was hilarious ! one of the best side actors ever ! in comedy hsitory !

[@DesiLu4Life]

💛💜 Mindy!!! Super funny and intelligent!

[@Shafi.Islam_]

the Niagara falls episode is one of my fav ones, well done mindy

[@olivecbe9657]

She's my favorite character in the office!

[@Da-jp3hn]

She’s older than John (Jim) it’s so weird to think about and so is Pam and Ryan she just turned 40

[@AB-qb4eh]

Its really sad to me when a successful woman of color - one of the few Asian/brown women in the entertainment industry - is talking about her career & struggles & all other people can talk about is her appearance.

[@acesul8811]

"woman of color" - you literally just defined her by her appearance.

[@acesul8811]

Yes, she means "that brown woman", i.e. she defined her by her appearance, not character or accomplishments. What she should have said was "It's really sad when a talented writer is talking about her career and all other people can talk about is her appearance". But instead she called her a brown woman.

[@acesul8811]

If you primarily identify and categorize people by their skin color you are a racist. It's that simple.

[@desiretress]

jajaja you dont even realize how racist your comment is, what a tool

[@wuhanclan]

This is the real world. If you get work done on your face or body, people are going to talk about it. Humans heavily rely on sight to survive. In addition to being a writer, she was also an ON SCREEN TALENT. Of course we are going to notice something different about her that isn't natural. You can be sad all you want but clearly Mindy herself cares very much about her appearance. She cared so much that she got work done and yes, I WILL judge her for that.

[@stug3719]

I wish these interviews weren't so damn short.

[@Njbear7453]

What a mind !!

[@kmb655]

She is a BOSS.

[@amfthehedgehog1993]

She did awesome job alongside of couple people to make the office

[@jizzncookies]

She’s so pretty

[@trojandarkhorse2022]

Season One Kelly Kapoor was nothing like Season 2 and beyond. Most characters perfect themselves later on the show as the characters develop. She was awesome.✊💯

[@taurustravells]

Queen!!

[@jahanarachughtai3753]

Love her

[@katyyk]

kelly matured so much

[@AlliesBeautyTips]

my queeeeeen

[@Miumiu0404]

It's ironic that her agent at that time when she first got her interview for a writing job in The Offfice told her don't bother with it. Because The Office (us version) will tank and get canceled.

[@avatarkorra8114]

She is gorgeous

[@vaishnavijeevan697]

Kelly is my role model, love her

[@MontyQueues]

when you find out kelly tobi and ryan are also writers of the show... LOL

[@razkable]

and mose

[@Hannah-wx7er]

And Phyllis was a casting director!

[@taniesha945]

Love mindy

[@edicavani2570]

RYAN STARTED THE FIRE

[@WaitingtoHit]

She's done a lot of great stuff, but even if she had just written "The Injury," that would still be pretty damn impressive.

[@razkable]

an episode that established dwight and pam as friends..vital to the seires

[@diamondc.7367]

I couldnt even tell she had anything. I still cant. She looks great!

[@allsportsworld2449]

There will never be another show as brilliant as The Office. Greatest show of all time.

[@absolutless]

The Harvard Lampoon has been churning out the same writer for 30 years

[@user-po3ir2tx5z]

Mindy is a trailblazer. It was not easy then to be a woman-let alone a woman of color-in a writers' room. The fact that she not only crushed as a writer on the Office, but went on to show-run two amazingly popular, critically hailed shows is huge for so many young women who aspire to do the same.

[@flala2261]

I Love Mindy's shoes!👡👡

[@TheSayLifeCoach]

2:32

[@Laurenjoinsyoutube]

Was she a writer on the show? That’s awesome she’s now my favorite person

[@jessicaginzel9541]

She wrote the most of all the writers. Something like 22 or 25 episodes. The next writer wrote about 16 and it goes down from there.

[@joshuatorres3448]

Your killing him Michael!

[@georgeandrade9287]

Why is everyone in the comment section shaming her for having work done to her face? It's her choice. She looks fine. She made money doing what she's good at, writing. Which also happens to be what the video is about.

[@georgeandrade9287]

LoganTheLionheart she looks great and is a even better writer.

[@Indygenous]

Her lips are swollen up. Her lower mouth/lip doesn't even coincide with the rest of her face. She doesn't look good. Actually she looks worse than before

[@georgeandrade9287]

Indygenous so what? Again this video is about what she is saying, not how she looks.

[@craigoneill8277]

George Andrade 😂she looks fine? What are you her surgeon?

[@georgeandrade9287]

Then y'all wonder why women don't want to talk to you.

[@lizimoodyspecter7281]

She is one of the few characters from the Office that never stuck with me. Creed too.

[@lesryglrhfohser]

bruh

[@asdabir]

lesryglfohser I don’t understand this commment

[@lizimoodyspecter7281]

@@asdabir Me neither.

[@adamfitz1102]

straight married father of 2 and Kelly is my fav character. That should tell ya how funny she is. She has the best lines. 98% of her lines are the funniest of the episode.

[@AnWHotTopix]

"Ryan used me as an object" - Kelly Kapur

[@PixieLavender]

Is this a full version of this?

[@slushpuppie19]

Kelly Kapoor was so ridiculous lol. I've never watched the Mindy Show because I thought it would just more of that but I think I should give it a go

[@djb6496]

she looks ... different

[@2devilbat]

God im so happy someone finally said it. She looks worse than she did before and i dont understand why no one stopped her or is telling her that it looks bad. I love her but god why did she do this.

[@EmileClement]

I think she also got her skin bleached, she looked more brownish in "the office"

[@orangest6954]

wouldnt that be due to age? I did a quick google and found out she's like 39. And Kevin and Pam are 1 year apart, at 44 and 45.

[@spidertingle1271]

dj b shut the fuck up and watch the interview. If she did so what.

[@jbre7233]

Orangest Kevin is YOUNGER than Pam?! 🤯

[@elenavaso]

Yeah I have a question...first of all how dare you

[@salfarorobelo]

She’s from Cambridge .. should of said she was a Sox’s fan lol

[@sid66188]

I fucking lover her she is my hero, if I ever meet her I would literally die

[@RedGirl006]

Kelly was so realistic at first, and then turned into a caricature.

[@littleraskle]

You can say that about literally EVERY character on the office. For me Kevin was the worst offender of this. He went from loveable dumb goofball to someone who seemed developmentally delayed lol

[@maydavalle]

💎

[@stevealaska73]

So very attractive too! Mindy, you're beautiful and I loved your contributions (all of them) to The Office!

[@BeauPeople]

I find this women is brilliant, and it makes me wonder... why all the plastic surgery? I know it's a personal decision but it seems like even the bravest most confident Hollywood women can't stay away from it. Where does this pressure come from?

[@reyskywaka3202]

Boat People Vintage I think this pressure comes from society in general. Women have always been pressured to look a certain way, have a certain body type and social media & celebrity culture this days isn't really helping the situation. But now more people are spreading body positivity but the negativity & the pressure are still present so even the strongest of us like Mindy can't escape.

[@blahajbaby]

Boat People Vintage As much as it is true that women feel pressured by the standards of society to fit in to a certain mold that is considered "a perfect body". Some women do get plastic surgery done for themselves and not due to societal pressures. As much as it is ideal to make every woman accept their flaws, at the end of the day it is their choice, which doesn't hurt anybody so why should we really care? I mean as long as they don't do it to please anyone else but themselves it really shouldn't be a problem.

[@aaronl1818]

When you have money you can afford to change things about your appearance you don’t like

[@Kingshal11]

who gives a fuck

[@gustamer4868]

And whats weird is that NO ONE finds it attractive. No guy says, "Oh you know what makes a woman hot? When she looks like her lips got stung by a bee and she can't smile or laugh properly". I honestly have no clue why so many women over 30 do this.... it looks shit and it's stupid. Wtf are you thinking?