"one of the funniest episodes in The Office ever"
Mindy Kaling recalled how she went from being a writer on The Office to playing Kelly Kapoor on the iconic American sitcom.
She described how her breakout on-screen role emerged unexpectedly while working in the writers’ room during the early days of the NBC comedy.
Speaking on Parks and Recreation star Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, Mindy revealed how she was first cast:
“The way that I got the part was B.J. [Novak, who played Ryan Howard] had written this episode called ‘Diversity Day’.”
Mindy called the 2005 episode, only the second in what turned out to be a nine-season series, “one of the funniest episodes in The Office ever”.
The episode featured Steve Carell’s Michael Scott attempting a disastrous workplace diversity training. It has since become one of the show’s most talked-about early instalments.
Mindy continued: “In order for it to be funny that Michael Scott was offending a room of people, it wasn’t as funny if it was just all white; you needed to be offending some people.
“And so I was so lucky to be in the writers’ room and being Indian, ’cause he’s like, ‘Would you play someone that he offends and then slaps him?'”
Admitting she was taken aback by the opportunity at the time, Mindy said:
“I was just content to be a comedy writer for the rest of my life. That was my dream come true.
“So to be on camera was just outrageous.”
Mindy noted that at the time, it was rare that women who weren’t stereotypically attractive were featured on TV. But creator Greg Daniels had a different philosophy.
She said: “It’s like, ‘What is beautiful is what is real’. And that wasn’t very many shows.”
Mindy described Kelly Kapoor as exaggerated and self-assured in her workplace fantasies.
“She thinks she’s the hottest person at the office and feels bad for [Jenna Fischer’s] Pam and thinks [Novak’s] Ryan is a huge catch.
“And that she’s destined for fame. And so that is fun.”
“I mean, it’s so fun to play delusional characters and then to be able to then be delusional in The Mindy Project with a different character.”
Mindy Kaling remained part of the cast for the remainder of the series until its end in 2013.
She went on to lead The Mindy Project, which ran for six seasons between 2012 and 2017.
Mindy’s latest TV comedy, Not Suitable for Work, premiered on Hulu on June 2, 2026, and follows five work-obsessed professionals living in New York City focused on achieving career success and finding time for personal happiness.
Watch the Full Interview
