Mindy Kaling is known for many things, but according to her longtime friend and “Office” costar B.J. Novak, she especially loves being known for, well, being well known.
Kaling was honored on Tuesday when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where Novak made a heartfelt speech that also poked fun at Kaling’s love of being famous, even if it’s a “weird” part of the job that she never really signed up for.
“Mindy respects and understands this in a very intuitive way,” Novak joked. “Because in addition to being a brilliant and wildly successful showrunner, an incredible mother-of-three, a deep and caring daughter and friend and mentor to so many, Mindy is also, in her spare time, I assure you, very superficial.”
Novak continued to genuinely say that he and Kaling’s loved ones always knew she’d be famous, “but we had no idea how beautifully you’d handle the job.”
Later, Kaling thanked Novak when she made her speech, saying that he is “such an important and integral part of my family that sometimes I forget the reason that I know him is because we work together professionally.”
“I’m as starstruck by him now at age 29 as I was when I first met you, at (age) 24,” Kaling joked. “I love you.” (Kaling and Novak are both in fact 45.)
Kaling is best known for playing Kelly Kapoor on NBC’s “The Office” between 2005 and 2013. She also served as a writer and an executive producer on the series until its final season aired.
The Emmy-nominee went on to star in, write and produce “The Mindy Project” on NBC and is a writer and producer on HBO’s “Sex Lives of College Girls.” She has also starred in dozens of films including “Late Night,” “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Ocean’s 8.”
Hilariously, Kaling proved Novak’s point during her Walk of Fame speech when she declared that “this is one of the times where I’m just gonna force myself to be in the moment.”
“I’m so happy,” she said, with a smile. “I love recognition and this is just incredibly nice.”
