Exes Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak joked about their “insanely complicated relationship” as they presented an award at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
The former “The Office” co-stars looked back on their days working on 22 episodes a year as staff writers for the long-running comedy, calling current limited series writers “lazy bastards.”
Novak, 43, recalled how the NBC series would “last your whole life” with no time for other projects.
Kaling, also 43, agreed, adding that there was “no time for a social life”, leaving them “no choice but to engage in insanely complicated relationships”.
Twitter users speculated that the actress was referring to rumors that Novak is the father of her two children: daughter Katherine (4) and son Spencer (2).
“Bj Novak and Mindy Kaling should win an Emmy for pretending they don’t have a child,” one fan joked on Twitter.
Others pointed out that the Supremes’ “Baby Love” played as the former couple, who dated from 2004 to 2007, took the stage to present the Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Anthology Series or Movie award to “The White Lotus.”
“PLAYING BABY LOVE WHEN BJ NOVAK AND MINDY KALING MEET IS A BIG TROLL,” wrote one social media user, along with another to add“like I SHOUT when ‘baby love’ played as mindy kaling and bj novak walked onto the stage, y’all are slick.”
Kaling has raised paternity speculation in the past, telling Marie Claire last month that the rumors don’t “harness” her.
“He is the godparent to both of my children – and they have such a great relationship – and until now” [the speculation hasn’t] it hasn’t affected my happiness at all, it hasn’t affected my kids or BJ,” explained the “Mindy Project” alum.
“If that’s what excites people, I’ll take it,” she continued.
Kaling noted that she has no intention of revealing the father of her children until the little ones know themselves.
“I want them to be old enough to talk to me about it and [tell me] how they want me to talk about it,” the Tony winner said, calling her decision “super cautious.”
Although Kaling called her and Novak’s band “romantic charged” and “weird as hell” when she spoke to InStyle in 2015, she gave it a “less sexy characterization” four years later during a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview.
“He’s really part of my family now,” she said at the time. “People…think it’s more romantic or sparkly or interesting than it is.”