While Mindy Kaling doesn’t necessarily love the idea of her body being a topic of conversation online, she’s grown accustomed to it. In a new interview, the “Running Point” creator opened up about her weight-loss journey, which has garnered massive attention over the years. According to Kaling, 46, she began taking her health journey seriously not for herself, but for those closest to her.
Speaking with Bustle, Kaling said going through a body transformation as a public figure can be mentally challenging, especially when fans share their unfiltered thoughts about a person’s new look.
“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 said. “Of course, it’s never a joy to be scrutinized, but also I truly understand it, as someone who consumes pop culture.”
Kaling is familiar with being a topic of conversation; however, the actress revealed that her desire to lose weight wasn’t to quiet the outside noise. She said that it was to “live at least 20 more years,” nodding to her three children, Kit, Spencer, and Anne.
Mindy Kaling Still Battles Negative Thoughts About Her Body Like Other People
Kaling, who has reportedly lost over 40 pounds, admitted that while she’s hit major milestones, she still struggles with her body image.
“Do I wake up every day being like, ‘I look amazing and I’m so gorgeous’? No, unsurprisingly, but I truly feel so healthy,” she said.
According to Kaling, her reason for losing weight has shifted over the years, stating that in the past she “would want to lose weight for vanity reasons.”
Today, Kaling said her fitness journey is more about preventing health issues such as 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,” she said.
Mindy Kaling Previously Said That Being ‘Skinny’ Isn’t Her Goal
This, of course, isn’t the first time that Kaling has spoken out about her body or fitness goals. In 2014, she spoke with Vogue and admitted she still struggles with insecurities about her public image.
“There’s a whole list of things I would probably change about myself,” she said, revealing that she’s “always” trying to lose 15 pounds. But even then, Kaling said her goal isn’t to be “skinny.”
“I don’t want to be skinny. I’m constantly in a state of self-improvement, but I don’t beat myself up over it,” she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kaling said that she’ll also experiment with different looks when she’s fluctuating between sizes. “When I’m at my thinnest, I tend to wear things that don’t show off my body,” she said.
“But when I’m bigger, I’ll go body-con, which comes from a place of ‘This is my perimeter, in case you were wondering if I was actually much bigger,’” she added.
Other Celebs Have Shared A Similar Message
And Kaling isn’t alone in her feelings. According to PEOPLE, Grammy-winning singer Lizzo shared a similar message in 2024, revealing that her weight loss journey had caused confusion among her fans.
Lizzo went on to say that while she was actively working on changing her body, her plan was never to be “thin.”
“I’ve always loved moving my body. I’ve always loved working out,” she said. “I’m very holistically conscious, like I am very hippie-dippie and woo woo when it comes to food and supplements and just thinking about my body and the environment, and I think a lot of people see a fat person that way and immediately just assume everything they’re doing is to be thin. I’m not tryna be thin. I don’t ever want to be thin.”
Lizzo Once Called Herself A ‘Body Icon’
In a previous interview, Lizzo, known as a vocal leader in the body-positivity movement, said she was proud of how she presents herself to the public.
“I think I have a really hot body! I’m a body icon, and I’m embracing that more and more every day,” she said. “It may not be one person’s ideal body type just like, say, Kim Kardashian might not be someone’s ideal, but she’s a body icon and has created a modern-day beauty standard. And what I’m doing is stepping into my confidence and my power to create my own beauty standard. And one day that will just be the standard.”
