Mindy Kaling opened up in a new interview with Bustle about the constant online backlash she receives over her dramatic weight loss journey, saying it’s not fun to be scrutinized on social media while also acknowledging that such criticism is somewhat understandable from her pop culture obsessive perspective.
“It’s sometimes no fun when one of your favorite actors loses weight. You have an idea of what they were like when you grew attached to them, and it made them endear themselves to you,” she told the publication. “Of course, it’s never a joy to be scrutinized, but also I truly understand it, as someone who consumes pop culture.”
Kaling defended her weight loss, explaining she needed to get in shape in order to “live at least 20 more years” for her children.
“Do I wake up every day being like, ‘I look amazing and I’m so gorgeous’? No, unsurprisingly, but I truly feel so healthy,” Kaling said. “When I was younger, I would want to lose weight because of vanity reasons. Now I want to lose weight or have lost weight because I want to stave off things like diabetes. I had it on both sides of my family, and trying to avoid those kinds of things will, I think, help longevity for me, and that’s my goal.”
Kaling told People in 2023 that she does not pay attention to body-shaming comments, explaining: “I know people are really interested in my body and the changes in my body, and I think it’s flattering and sometimes it’s just a little much, so I don’t try to tune it in too much.”
Kaling currently serves as the co-creator and executive producer of Netflix’s comedy series “Running Point,” which is headlined by Kate Hudson. The show’s second season debuted on April 23, and the streamer has already renewed the series for Season 3. Kaling’s next series, “Not Suitable for Work,” arrives on Hulu in June.