Mindy Kaling Secretly Welcomed Her Third Child Earlier This Year

Mindy Kaling just announced the birth of her third child – a daughter named Anne. Kaling posted a photo of the baby on Instagram, explaining that she had actually given birth back in February but had kept the news to herself for a while. Kaling has never revealed the identity of her childrens’ father, and in this post, she implied that she may be a single parent.

“In late February I gave birth to my daughter, Anne. She’s the best birthday present I could’ve ever imagined,” Kaling wrote. “When things are hard, whenever I veer towards cynicism, my three kids are such a great reminder of the pure joy in my life. I’m so lucky I live in a place where I could do this by myself, on my own timeline. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!”

The post included one photo of Anne lying outside with Kaling’s other children on a picnic blanket. Her eldest is 6-year-old Katherine – or “Kit” for short” – and her middle child is 3-year-old Spencer. The post also included one photo of a pregnant Kaling, and one where Kit and Spencer were sitting in a hospital bed with Kaling. As usual, the photos did not give a clear view of Kaling’s childrens’ faces, as she tends to protect their privacy online.

Kaling explained that strategy to PEOPLE back in 2021, saying: “I feel like I might as well wait until they get old enough so they can tell me if they want to be part of my social media or not.” In that interview, she also said that she she has plenty of help raising her kids, even if she hasn’t disclosed any details about a potential co-parent. She said “it absolutely takes a village,” and in her case that includes a nanny and her father, Avu. She also said that actress Reese Witherspoon has been a big help as “a great source of parenting advice.”

As for their parentage, the most detail Kaling has ever given on the topic came in a 2022 interview with Marie Claire. At the time, she said that she wasn’t keeping it a secret to build up a mystery or anything – she was only trying to give her children a chance to grow up and understand their story before it had been established in the public eye. She said that when they’re old enough, she’ll discuss the topic if they want to, adding: “I’m the only parent my kids have… I think I err on the side of super cautious so that there’s less things that they can potentially be made at me about down the line.”

Kaling directly addressed the most common speculation on social media – that her long-time collaborator B.J. Novak is her childrens’ father. She said that when people make that assumption, “It doesn’t bother me. 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 B.J…. If that’s what is going to be titillating to people, I’ll take it.”

That very same theory cropped up in the comments of Kaling’s latest post, but she did not respond to any of them, nor did Novak. Fans are congratulating Kaling and wishing Ann the best all over social media.