Mindy Kaling dropped some major news during her appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Oct. 8: She gave birth to her second child on Sept. 3 after keeping her entire pregnancy a secret. The writer and actor told the host she was sure that the jig was up when paparazzi caught her running an errand eight months pregnant, but the arrival of her son was still a surprise for fans. Mindy Kaling also shared the name of her new baby: Spencer, which some are guessing is a tribute to actor Spencer Tracy, especially since her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter is named Katherine (as in Katharine Hepburn).
Colbert was curious as to how Katherine, who Kaling welcomed in Dec. 2017, was accepting her new younger brother. "She was very ambivalent at first, I would say, to be generous," Kaling said. "She was really worried about her toys getting taken...Then she was delighted when he arrived home with me [from] the hospital and he was just this blob that couldn't take her toys. So she's a huge fan now that she's met him."
Kaling clearly values her privacy—never posting photos of her daughter's face, for example. But when asked why she hadn't talked about her recent pregnancy on social media, Kaling told Colbert that the pandemic influenced her decision. "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.
Lockdown also made it easier to keep the information to herself. "No one saw me!" Kaling added.
Keep reading for more stars who've low-key welcomed children without the rest of the world being the wiser. And for the star names we love from this year, here are All the Cutest Celebrity Baby Names of 2020.
1 | Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
Tinseltown / Shutterstock.comNeither Justin Timberlake nor Jessica Biel has publicly spoken about the arrival of their second child. It was his former *NSYNC bandmate Lance Bass who broke the news. In late September, Bass told Entertainment Tonight that the bundle of joy had arrived earlier in the year and that photos had been shared on the boy band's group chat, but he didn't give up the name. "Justin would kill me!" he said.
For shots of star pairs when they first fell in love, check out 13 Photos of Celebrity Couples When They First Got Together.
2 | Donald Glover
Shutterstock/DFreeDid you know that Atlanta mastermind and the artist otherwise known as Childish Gambino is a father of three? Donald Glover is known for keeping his family life close to the vest, while dropping tidbits here and there. He confirmed his wife, Michelle White, was pregnant with their second child during his 2017 Emmy acceptance speech and shared that she gave birth to their third child during quarantine in a 2020 GQ interview with fellow creator Michaela Coel. He also shared that their new baby is named for his father, who recently passed.
3 | Vincent Kartheiser and Alexis Bledel
UPI/AlamyGilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel and Mad Men star Vincent Kartheiser, who met on the set of the AMC advertising drama, managed to keep their new arrival a secret for almost a whole year. Representatives didn't confirm that the actors had had a baby until 2016, even though their child was born the previous fall.
For onscreen duos who didn't exactly get along, check out 11 Beloved Movie Couples Who Clashed Behind the Scenes.
4 | Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix
Debby Wong / Shutterstock.comThough the stars have yet to officially confirm, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix have reportedly welcomed their first child together. During an interview for the Zurich Film Festival, filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky said that Phoenix, the producer of his documentary Gunda, couldn't be there because "he just got a baby." Kossakovsky also spilled the bittersweet news that their new son is named River, after Phoenix's late brother.
5 | Kristen Wiig
Shutterstock/Kathy HutchinsWhen People reported in June that former SNL star Kristen Wiig and her fiancé Avi Rothman were parents of newborn twins, representatives did not confirm. However, Wiig has since opened up to InStyle about her frustrating efforts to become a mom and struggle with IVF.
"I remember when our doctor mentioned going other routes, and I was just like, 'Nope. Don’t ever bring that up again. I’m getting pregnant. I’m doing this,'" she told the outlet. "I finally realized that I just needed help. And, thank god, we found the most amazing surrogate."
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6 | Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Kathy Hutchins/ShutterstockThere may be no bigger celebrity parent power move than to reveal the name of your child via Taylor Swift song. But that's apparently what happened with the third child of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. In 2019, Reynolds shared a photo of the couple with their (hilariously blurred out) new baby. But her name wasn't known until fans figured out that Swift's song "Betty," from her new Folklore album, also included the names of her good friends' other daughters: James and Inez. Lively and Reynolds have still not confirmed their third child's name, but Swift did say that in "Betty" she "named all the characters ... after my friends' kids."
