In order for any sitcom to be a success, it has to develop a loyal fan base. With that in mind, it should go without saying that sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men both had millions of fans who were saddened when they ended. Despite that, when people look back on the history of The Office, it quickly becomes clear that the show’s fans are especially devoted to the show.Since fans of the show are so passionate, they continued to watch in droves even after The Office began to suck. On top of that, fans adored the show’s top couple so much that they would have been outraged if the original plans for Jim and Pam to divorce came to fruition. With all of that in mind, The Office’s fans will likely be fascinated to know that according to B.J. Novak, the show was made worse because his famous girlfriend lied to him.
Who Is B.J. Novak’s Famous Ex-Girlfriend?
As fans of The Office will already know, the show had a large ensemble cast that was extremely talented, to say the very least. Despite that fact, the biggest fans of The Office have managed to keep track of the personal lives of most of the show’s stars. For example, The Office fans know all about Steve Carrell’s gorgeous and hilarious wife and they can’t get enough of hearing John Krasinski and Emily Blunt talking about each other.
Unlike his famous co-stars, B.J. Novak has somehow managed to keep almost every detail of his personal life under wraps. For proof of that, all you have to do is look at the fact that it has been many, many years since the masses have learned about Novak dating anyone. According to whosdatedwho.com, what is known about Novak’s personal life is that he has two ex-girlfriends that the world knows about.
First off, B.J. Novak once dated the talent agent Molly Hurwitz who would later get engaged to Matthew Perry in 2020 and 2021. Of course, even though Hurwitz’s job allows her to have an impact on the entertainment industry, she isn’t famous. However, Novak’s other ex-girlfriend Mindy Kaling is famous for starring in The Office alongside B.J. and other projects including The Mindy Project.
According to what B.J. Novak told Vulture in 2012, his two-year relationship with Mindy Kaling was similar to what The Office fans saw on television as things between them were always in flux. "No one, including us, ever really knew, 'Is this dating? Is this not dating?' We were never really dating, we were never really not dating. We didn't know. No one knew. All you'd know for sure was that you'd always find one of us next to the other, even if we weren't getting along."
Despite what B.J. Novak said about the ups and downs of his relationship with Mindy Kaling, she once made it clear that at one time she would have committed herself to him. During a 2014 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Kaling was asked if she would have married Novak if he proposed back when they were together. While Kaling said she would have married Novak, she undercut how meaningful that is and made it clear she’d moved on from Novak.
"At the time? Yeah. I was 24. For the record, if anyone asked me to marry them, I would have said yes. I love him, and I think he's a great person, but I'm not holding a candle for B.J." In the years since that quote, there has never been any hint at Kaling and Novak rekindling their romance but B.J. has become the godfather to Mindy’s two children.
How Mindy Kaling Lying To B.J. Novak Screwed Up The Show
In 2016, B.J. Novak was interviewed by The Guardian and unsurprisingly, his relationship with Mindy Kaling came up. While talking about his ex, Novak made it crystal clear that he adores Kaling and they continue to hold a special place in each other’s lives. However, that doesn’t mean that Novak wasn’t willing to dish some dirt about Kaling.
After B.J. Novak told the interviewer that he jokingly told his ex that he was writing a list titled “Eight Times Mindy Kaling Bullied Me on the Set of The Office’” he was asked if she really did bully him. According to the article that resulted from that interview, Novak sported a huge grin as he revealed how Kaling lying affected B.J. professionally.
“She would lie to me. She would make up these – just out of nowhere – purposeless lies that I believed.” “And there was this director, this older woman who directed a couple of episodes, and Mindy told me I couldn’t tell anyone, but Greg Daniels, the showrunner, used to date this woman in college. And then Greg asked me what I thought of her cut and I lied to Greg and said I thought it was great, because I was nervous to insult his ex-girlfriend, so he didn’t make the edits that I wanted.”
“And later I asked him about it and he was like, ‘What are you talking about? She’s 20 years older than I am, we didn’t go to college together!’ I realized that Mindy just made it up and” – he breaks off, laughing – “it actually affected my work life!”
On the one hand, some people may see Mindy Kaling’s lie in that story as a harmless prank and it is clear that B.J. Novak found it somewhat funny based on the grin he sported while talking about it. However, it is pretty messed up that Novak had an issue with an episode of The Office that he didn’t address specifically because of Kaling’s lie.
