Mindy Kaling shares the real reason behind her dramatic 40-lb weight loss
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Mindy Kaling has talked about her motivation behind losing weight, as well as addressed the public attention surrounding her changed look in a new interview.
While speaking with Bustle, Kaling disclosed that she decided to shed pounds after becoming concerned about her health and realizing that she needs to “live at least 20 more years” for her children, daughters Katherine and Anne, and son Spencer.
Mindy Kaling reveals health-driven weight loss motivation
“Do I wake up every day being like, ‘I look amazing and I’m so gorgeous’? No, unsurprisingly, but I truly feel so healthy,” the comedian shared, before explaining, “When I was younger, I would want to lose weight because of vanity reasons. Now I want to lose weight or have lost weight because I want to stave off things like 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,” Kaling stated.
Mindy Kaling addresses backlash over dramatic weight loss
Mindy's shoot comes after her incredible 40-lb weight loss transformation, which sparked a major conversation amongst her fans and critics.
The ‘Late Night’ star also further explained why some fans feel unhappy with her weight loss.
“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 noted.
Kaling also added that “of course, it’s never a joy to be scrutinized, but also I truly understand it, as someone who consumes pop culture.”
Mindy Kaling says she feels confident now
‘The Office’ alum had earlier also opened up about her fitness journey.
In 2023, she spoke with PEOPLE before the launch of her Mindy x Andie Swim Collection, where she said, “I'm feeling really confident in my body these days, which is not something that I've been able to say for my whole life, unfortunately. I feel great.”
At the time, Kaling also noted that she’s flattered to know that “people are really interested in my body and the changes in my body,” but “sometimes it's just a little much, so I don't try to tune it in too much.”
“The truth is that I spend so much time and energy trying to be healthy,” she had added.
The screenwriter had also mentioned the level of commitment her fitness journey required.
She said, “It's hard with two kids that I wake up really early and I fit it in, and I basically live in workout clothes so I can get it in, get an extra mile in. I just tell myself I have to do basically 20 miles a week of either hiking or running. And so that's been incredibly helpful to me.”
