Mindy Kaling Just Defended Her Children's "Caucasian Names" on Instagram
She also revealed the deep, personal meaning of their middle names.
No matter how strict celebrities are about protecting their kids from public scrutiny, fans will always be curious about their private lives and families. As a memoirist, Mindy Kaling, now a mother of two, has written extensively about her own thoughts and experiences, but hasn't shared many details about her children. However, she did recently respond to an Instagram follower who had a question about how the names she chose for her offspring did or didn't reflect "[Kaling's] culture," per People. And in replying to that fan questioning her children's "Caucasian names," Mindy Kaling also revealed the middle name of her youngest, Spencer, for the first time.
Read on to see how she handled the comment and to learn the moving meanings of her kids' middle names. And for apples that haven't fallen far from the tree, check out 25 Celebrity Kids Who Look Just Like Their Parents.
Read the original article on Best Life.
In 2017, Kaling welcomed her first child.
As People reported, The Office writer and actor gave birth to her daughter, Katherine Swati, in December of that year. Her pregnancy had been spilled by her A Wrinkle in Time costar, Oprah Winfrey, that summer—something that Kaling laughed off in an interview on The Ellen Show.
"You can't complain that much about it. And you also can't be like, 'Hey, Oprah, zip it'—because she's almost like a religious figure," she told the host.
Despite such a high-profile beginning to her motherhood journey, Kaling has kept her family life pretty private. She hasn't (and reportedly will never) reveal the identity of Katherine's father—even to friends—and we can assume she'll be similarly close-lipped about her second child. She also hasn't shared photos of her kids' faces on social media.
For star kids who've grown up in the spotlight, check out 15 Celebrity Kids Who Are All Grown Up Now.
In Oct. 2020, she let fans in on a secret.
COVID quarantine enabled Kaling to keep her second pregnancy quiet. In fact, fans didn't know she had even been expecting until after the birth of her son, Spencer. She shared the news in an interview with Stephen Colbert and explained why she hadn't announced it earlier.
"There was so much going on and so much heartbreak in the world that it felt strange to go out of my way to, you know, shine a light on some giant health information," she said.
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An Instagram follower asked a personal question about her children's names.
In the comments of her Instagram post of her December Vogue India cover, a fan of Kaling's inquired about her kids' full names and whether or not they're linked to the star's Indian heritage.
"Not my business but do your children have Indian middle names?" the follower asked. "You are proud of your culture and I was wondering why the kids have very Caucasian names. 💙 "
For more baby name news, check out The Surprising Name Adam Brody & Leighton Meester Are Calling Their Son.
Amid other fans coming to her defense, Kaling responded.
Kaling, whose full name is Vera Mindy Chokalingam, seemed to take no offense at the reply and satiated the fan's curiosity, publicly revealing her son's middle name for the first time in the process.
"They do!" Kaling responded. "Swati and Avu!"
Responding to another fan, the star explained that Katherine's middle name, Swati, is a tribute to her mother and is "gorgeous and meaningful."
Kaling's mother, Swati Chokalingam, passed away in 2012 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Though the actor didn't comment further on the thread, it appears that her son is partially named after her father, Avu Chokalingam. Avu means "gift of God."
Kaling has frequently discussed and written about her experience growing up as a child of immigrants and has championed related causes.
For star kids who've passed on fame, check out Celebrity Siblings Who Avoid the Spotlight.
