Mindy Kaling is under fire for a story she told about kissing actor Lee Pace without his consent.
Recently, a video clip uploaded in 2016 shows Kaling during an appearance on Conan. During her appearance, she begins to tell the story of how, on her show, The Mindy Project, she surprised guest star Lee Pace with a kiss while filming a scene.
She begins by explaining how she'd succumbed to the temptation once while filming her show. While filming a scene with Lee Pace where the two were in bed together in college. "I improvised just kissing him in the scene - which was not in the script," she says, as the audience laughs.
After awkwardly trying to pretend that the kiss didn't happen, Kaling explains that she went backstage, where writer/producers Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen told her that she could be sued.
Kaling then recalls telling the two men, "tell anyone and you're fired."
Both Conan and Kaling then begin to joke that she could do it more often because she got away with it in that instance.
The Mindy Project ran for six seasons between 2012 and 2017. It starred Mindy Kaling, who was also the show's creator.
Commenters pointed out how there was a clear double standard there; if a male actor had done this to Kaling, it wouldn't be a funny story at all. Other commenters were outraged at how casually Kaling could tell the story.
The video has surfaced around the internet, most notably on TikTok. In a video uploaded by TikToker and artist Riley Dismore, the user expresses her disgust with the story. The user stated that what Kaling did was sexual harassment or even assault.
The TikTok has gained more than 214k views since being uploaded earlier this month. Thousands of users express their own outrage in the comments.
As of yet, Kaling has not addressed the story or the backlash.
Users were astonished that Kaling ever thought it was okay to tell the story, especially not during a live broadcast.
Online reaction to Kaling's resurfaced story has been overwhelmingly negative, with many having a hard time believing anyone would admit to doing such a thing.
While the internet did not like the story at all, the audience as well as Conan at the time thought it was funny.
TikTok users felt that Kaling was acting as if her actions weren't nearly as serious as they actually were.
Some have even commented on how Kaling has made confusing and problematic comments in the past.
Before starting The Mindy Project, Kaling worked as a producer for The Office, which ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013. She also had a supporting role on the show as Kelly Kapoor.
In a December 2022 interview, Kaling discussed The Office and its legacy.
According to Kaling, "That show is so inappropriate now." She continued by saying, "Tastes have changed, and honestly what offends people has changed so much now."
When discussing what Kelly Kapoor would be doing in a modern-day The Office reboot, she said, "I think she would have quit Dunder Mifflin to become an influencer, and then probably be canceled, almost immediately. Actually, most of the characters on that show would be canceled by now."
"I think that actually is one of the reasons the show is popular because people feel like there’s something kind of fearless about it or taboo that it talks about on the show," she said.
Despite having first premiered nearly two decades ago, The Office continues to be an incredibly popular show.
Users on Twitter took issue with Kaling's remarks, claiming that she missed the mark.
Reruns of The Office play on multiple channels each day, and the series is available on multiple streaming services, as Twitter users point out.
Its longevity and continued popularity are why many believe that Kaling's remarks are untrue.
Twitter users explained how the characters being terrible people is the point of the show, as well as the source of its comedy.
h/t Buzzfeed News
