EXCLUSIVE: Yes, Mindy Kaling’s Daughter Met Oprah and You’ll Never Believe What Went Down

Quick recap: Back in 2017, Oprah Winfrey spilled the beans about her A Wrinkle in Time co-star Mindy Kaling’s pregnancy. And, when a couple of months later, the media mogul happened to text Kaling about work, of course, she responded immediately—despite being in labor. So, it’s safe to say that the duo definitely shares a close bond. (We’re not jealous at all). So, when we recently caught up with the star, we couldn’t resist asking if her daughter, Katherine Swati, has met Queen O.

“Katherine has met Oprah!” Kaling told us. “She was 3 months old and we did a showing of A Wrinkle in Time at her house in Santa Barbara and I brought Katherine. She was crying and I was so mortified and then she walked into the promised land, which is Oprah’s house, and she completely shut up,” Kaling reveals.

Yep, it turns out that even infants know the power of Oprah. “I was very proud of her,” says Kaling. 

The Mindy Project star also chatted about her involvement with Stella Artois and Water.org (psst…for every bottle you buy between now and April 30, you can give a whole month of access to clean water for one person), as well as her new comedy Late Night hitting theaters in June.

Late Night tells the story of a legendary TV host (Emma Thompson) whose show is about to be canceled. But that all changes when she hires a female writer (Kaling) for the first time.

Does the actress/writer/producer have any advice for women who might find themselves in the minority at work? “When you come into a role and you’re the least paid or have the least amount of experience, it can be terrifying,” Kaling reveals. “And when you start a role like that you think, ‘Oh my God, everyone is scrutinizing me.’ But the thing is that no one really is. I think the best thing to do is just to chill out—no one is really paying attention to you. And be helpful—don’t just tear things apart (which is actually super fun to do and I do it all the time).” 

Great advice, Mindy. Next: Can you ask Oprah how she manages to silence a bawling baby? Asking for a friend.