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Mindy Kaling addresses rumors that her longtime boyfriend BJ Novak could be the father of her children.
In an interview with Marie Claire published on Tuesday, the Never Have I Ever creator, who has kept her children’s paternity a secret, revealed that speculation Novak may have her children – Katherine, 4, and Spencer, 23 months – has sired, “doesn’t bother” her.
“He is godfather to both of my children – and they have such a great relationship – and so far [the rumors haven’t] it hasn’t affected my happiness at all, it hasn’t affected my kids or BJ,” Kaling, 43, told the publication.
Mindy Kaling (L) and BJ Novak attend the 2019 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 24, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California
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“If that’s tingly for people, I’ll take it,” she added.
Kaling also shared why she chose to keep her family life out of the spotlight.
“I want them to be old enough to talk to me about it and [tell me] how they want me to talk about it,” she said of her children. “I’m the only parent my kids have … I think I’m going on the side of being super careful so there’s less stuff that they can potentially be mad at me about, down the line.”
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During an interview on Good Morning America in 2020, the Mindy Project alum opened up about Novak’s role as godparent to their daughter.
“Godparents are a Christian tradition and I am Hindu and he is Jewish. It really doesn’t make sense, but we really think, ‘Christians really got this right, this is a great tradition,'” she shared at the time. “I was like, ‘I’m not going to miss this,’ so he’s my daughter’s godfather and we’re redefining what that really means.”
She added, “Right now it just means he’s in our pandemic pod, so he comes around all the time — he’s great with kids so it was really nice to have him in the house.”
The story goes on
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Kaling and Novak first met while working on The Office and dated on and off between 2004 and 2007 before eventually calling it quits.
Despite the split, the pair have remained close friends over the years — even accompanying each other to red carpet events as platonic dates.
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In 2014, Novak also opened up his friendly relationship with Kaling to PEOPLE.
“Complicated,” he said when asked to describe Kaling in one word. “A really complicated person and a really complicated friendship, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.”