Mindy Kaling Kissing Lee Pace Without Consent, What You Need to Know

Mindy Kaling faces backlash after a Conan interview resurfaces where she admits she kissed a co-star without his consent.

Triggering: Sexual Assault

Kaling is well known for her role as Kelly Kapoor in The Office and for creating her own series called The Mindy Project. More recently, she created and starred in the new Scooby-Doo animated series Velma, which has received a lot of criticism from audiences and critics.

In a 2015 interview, Conan asked Kaling if she ever felt her position of power could lead to unprofessional behavior. While it is common for attractive men to appear on The Mindy Show, Kaling claimed she is a “professional” who can behave like a “lady.” 

However, Kaling then admits she had definitely “succumbed to that temptation.” During a shoot on The Mindy Show, she had improvised an unscripted kiss with Lee Pace, to his shock. 

Despite her blatant confession, her response led to an abundance of laughter from Conan’s audience. Kaling adds that the series’ writer-producers warned she could get sued for her actions. As a result of her staff’s warnings, she threatened them, declaring, “Tell anyone and you’re fired.”

Although the interview occurred seven years ago, the video has resurfaced, and many are outraged by Kaling’s confession.

i cant stand mindy kaling after she bragged on conan about kissing lee pace without his consent after she was ‘overcome by his attractiveness’… that’s sexual assault babes. it happened 7 years ago and i always think about it when i see praise for her.

— xander (@bnwhishaw) October 14, 2022

Wow it’s so surprising to me that Mindy Kaling, the woman who laughed about how she kissed Lee Pace without his consent and threatened to fire the workers who warned her that her conduct was inappropriate in doing that, seems to view the MeToo movement as bad for comedians. https://t.co/Y3GuDWDp2b

— James | Meta Comics (Reading Woman of Tomorrow) (@ComicsMeta) January 15, 2023

Some reactions detail the importance of intimacy coordinators, who manage and keep intimate scenes between actors as comfortable and respectful as possible.  

TikToker Riley Dismore reacted to the Kaling interview by declaring, “What are you doing? There are people, if you want to kiss him, if you thought it would benefit the scene, there are intimacy coordinators available!”  

@rileydismore Tw: SA/harassment Email in your #hollywoodhorrorstory to radismore@gmail.com #hollywoodhorrorstories #fyp #mindykaling #themindyproject #velma #metoo #QuakerPregrain ♬ original sound – RileyDismoreArt

Hollywood has a history of men abusing their power to take advantage of actors and actresses in the industry. Prominent figures such as Harvey Weinstein have been uprooted by the #MeToo movement and exposed for their crimes. 

In Kaling’s situation, she was able to admit to sexual assault in a televised interview and faced no repercussions for years. The video showcases how the audience celebrates her abusive actions through laughter and vigorous clapping. What’s worse is her response to Conan’s burning assumption: “So basically, that’s going to be happening a lot more now too because you got away with it.”

“I’m the kissing bandit, it’s like, he didn’t complain about it, no one said anything no one reported anything,” she stated while crossing her fingers.

The lack of response from her co-star and crew means numerous things. Because of Kaling’s authoritative role in The Mindy Project, there was a power imbalance between her and her staff. Thus, her position impacts what gets revealed outside the studio and what is brushed under the rug.

There is a stigma in society regarding men being sexually assaulted. It is often brushed off as a “meaningless” encounter and not meant to be taken seriously. Due to this societal neglect, men are less likely to open up about their experience with sexual assault. While women are given a voice and platform to speak about their experiences, male victims are often forgotten in the conversation.

Mindy Kaling openly bragged about forcibly kissing Lee Pace, who mind you is also gay and married, and threatened to fire her co-workers, if they spoke up about it.

If this was a man-on-woman situation, that’s when people will start caring and call it sexual harassment/assault.

— The Critical ‘Outside The Cube’ Thinking Critique (@ACriticalHuman) January 21, 2023

However, notable figures in the film industry were able to reveal the corruption and abuse perpetuated by Hollywood’s elite. Terry Cruise and Brendan Fraser bravely declared their stories to the world. While some reactions were supportive, many have dismissed their experience. 

Regardless of gender, race, or sexuality, no one should abuse their position of power to take advantage of someone. This incident reveals that intimacy coordinators should always be on set to manage boundaries and comfort levels between actors in intimate scenes.