Mindy Kaling Says Her Weight Loss Was Motivated by Wanting to Be Healthy and ‘Look Hot’: 'Both Can Be True'
Mindy Kaling Says Her Weight Loss Was Motivated by Wanting to Be Healthy and ‘Look Hot’: 'Both Can Be True'
Dave Quinn, Vanessa EtienneWed, May 27, 2026 at 5:16 PM UTC
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Mindy Kaling on 'The View' on May 27, 2026
Credit: ABC
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Mindy Kaling addressed public reactions to her weight loss, saying it's been a personal goal since childhood
The actress emphasized her health and family history, including her parents' diabetes and her mother's early death from cancer, as motivating factors
Kaling said wanting to look good doesn't negate the health reasons behind her weight loss journey
Mindy Kaling is opening up about the motivation behind her weight loss journey — and shutting down the idea that it has to be about just one thing.
Appearing on The View on Wednesday, May 27 to promote her new Hulu series, Not Suitable for Work, the actress and writer spoke candidly about the public reaction to her changing appearance while discussing her recent Bustle cover shoot.
“I think we all think it's weird when public figures lose weight because we want this perfectly consistent narrative of their lives,” Kaling, 46, said, when asked how she responds to the conversation.
“But I have wanted to lose weight since I was 12 years old. I've been writing jokes about diet and body image for 20 years now. So when people are surprised or shocked that I wanted to lose weight, I'm like, ‘Wait, how is this new? This has been part of my personality since the Clinton administration!' ”
Kaling went on to say that she understands why people sometimes react strongly when celebrities change their appearance. “When we see, especially these days, someone that we're used to a certain way look completely different, I think we feel betrayed,” she said.
Mindy Kaling on 'The View' on May 27, 2026
Credit: ABC
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The Office alum later explained that her health was a major factor in her decision to lose weight — but not the only one.
“I see a trainer three times a week. I really watch what I eat,” she said, after co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin complimented her toned arms.
“But also, in the same interview I said that I'm 46. I'm a single mom of three kids,” Kaling continued. “My mom died young of cancer and both my parents had diabetes. … I need to live. I need to live and the kids need me.”
Still, the actress said she doesn't believe wanting to look good should invalidate the health component of her journey.
“I saw something recently … that people were like, ‘I wish Mindy would stop saying she's doing it for the health and her kids, she just wants to look hot,' ” Kaling said. “And I'm like, ‘Both can be true!' ”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
