Mindy Kaling Reveals That She Responded To Text From Oprah Winfrey While In Labor

When Oprah Winfrey sends you a text, you respond — no matter what you are doing. At least, that’s what you do if you are Mindy Kaling.

On Busy Tonight, Kaling revealed that she had responded to a text from Winfrey while she was in labor 10 months ago, according to Entertainment Tonight. Host Busy Philipps told Kaling that she handled the situation in the right way.

Busy Philipps premiered her new show Busy Tonight on Sunday, kicking off the proceedings with an interview of Kaling. The host asked the actress if she was friends with Winfrey.

“I’m not, like, Gail close with Oprah, but I would say we’re friends. I have her phone number,” said Kaling.

To illustrate how close their friendship is, the 39-year-old told Philipps that she got texts from Winfrey while she was in labor with her daughter, Katherine.

“I will say, when I was in labor with my baby I got a bunch of texts and the great thing about when you’re in labor is like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to respond to any of these people,'” she said.

“But she texted me about something about her magazine and I remember, I’m literally in labor, and was like, ‘Oh, of course, anything!'” Kaling continued. “I’m laying in Cedars-Sinai. I’m hooked up to the thing… and Oprah asked me something about the magazine and I didn’t even tell her I was in labor because I was like, ‘Anything you want. Of course!'”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUpmVpVRfjc

“You handled that perfectly,” responded Philipps.

Kaling also weighed in on the challenges present in juggling motherhood and work. The Mindy Project star told the host that she brings her daughter to work sometimes, and that she can shift her schedule around so she can take her daughter to the doctor if she needs to. She said that she feels lucky to have that opportunity.

Kaling also told 39-year-old Philipps that her daughter loves Oprah Winfrey as much as she does. According to Kaling, per an appearance on Ellen in June, Kaling brought her daughter to Winfrey’s house. The baby was being fussy, and Kaling worried about bringing a “screaming baby into Oprah’s cathedral of beauty and art.”

When mom and baby stepped into the icon’s house, however, Katherine calmed right down. Kaling says that the baby’s eyes went wide and that she stopped crying. For the next four hours, the baby sat “coyly smiling and being adorable.”

Winfrey and Kaling first became friends during the filming of A Wrinkle in Time last year.