Mindy Kaling Reveals Why She’s Not Dating B.J. Novak

It’s long been rumored that Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak are a romantic item. But, what does Kaling have to say about those rumors? During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Kaling explained why she’s not dating Novak. 

As E! News noted, Kaling and Novak previously dated and ended up splitting in 2007. Even though they went their separate ways, the pair have remained friends. Novak is even the godfather of Kaling’s two children — daughter Katherine, 4, and son Spencer, 1. Still, rumors have persisted that they are romantically involved. Drew Barrymore asked Kaling about the matter and explained that she crossed paths with Novak one time. 

“I was on a date once ironically and B.J. Novak sat down,” Barrymore said on Wednesday’s show. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I was on a date with him. He’s so attractive—why is he not with Mindy Kaling? I want to be with Mindy Kaling! Why are they not together?’” Kaling joked that Novak would be “so excited” to hear that Barrymore called him attractive. The TV host then continued to press the subject, saying, “I think I dream of you being the ultimate couple, because you seem like best friends and you’re both so wonderful.”

In turn, Kaling said that she and Novak simply work so well as friends. She even acknowledged that their dynamic might be a little hard to understand if you’ve never been in a similar position before. The Mindy Project star said, “He is a wonderful friend and he’s godparent of both of my kids and he loves children and they’re so attached to him. He’s really a part of our family. But we’ve known each other for a long, long time.” Kaling added, “I think anyone who’s been friends with someone for 18, 19 years and at one point dated and now doesn’t, they maybe understand this.”

In addition to this relationship speculation, it’s also been rumored that Novak is actually the father of Kaling’s two children (she has not publicly shared the identity of her kids’ father). This past summer, she addressed this very subject during an interview with Marie Claire and said that these rumors don’t get in the way of her friendship with her ex. She said, “He’s the godparent to both my kids—and they have such a great relationship—and so far [the rumors haven’t] affected my happiness at all, it hasn’t affected my kids or BJ. If that’s what is going to be titillating to people, I’ll take it.”