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To all those who are guilty of pretending and lying to get a situation under control (basically all of us), Kelly Kapoor’s antics on The Office might feel a bit too relatable. Played by Mindy Kaling in the American adaptation of the show, one of the most jaw-dropping lies that Kelly took support of, was her pregnancy announcement to B.J. Novak’s character Ryan Howard.
B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard in The Office | image: NBCNow, while audiences were reeling at Kelly’s audacity and how easily she lied through her teeth to manipulate Ryan, Mindy Kaling’s real-life anecdote might just leave fans shell-shocked. Yes, B.J. Novak opened up about her purposeless lies and pranks on set and admitted to being playfully bullied by the actress. It seems that Kaling somehow channeled her onscreen character through her real-life personality.
Mindy Kaling bullied B.J. Novak with fibs and pranks on set
If you’re still reeling from Kelly Kapoor’s lies about Ryan Howard on The Office, then you might wanna skip the behind-the-scenes stories from the set, narrated by B.J. Novak. According to his interview with The Guardian, the actor opened up about Kaling’s penchant for taking advantage of his gullible nature and spinning lies and purposeless stories that left him hilariously duped.
Recalling a few of Mindy Kaling’s pranks and baseless stories from behind the scenes, B.J. Novak told the outlet how he was often playfully bullied by the actress. While their The Office characters had a short fling in the show, resulting in Kelly’s obsession with Ryan and later manipulating him, Novak noted that their real-life relationship was quite similar.
She would lie to me. She would make up these — just out of nowhere — purposeless lies that I believed. Like saying that Allison Jones, the casting director of The Office, was also an actress who had been the third lead in Cold Mountain. And so I just thought that.
And there was… this older woman who directed a couple of episodes, and Mindy told me… Greg Daniels, the showrunner, used to date [her] in college… 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.
Mindy Kaling and B.J. Novak in The Office | image: NBCEventually, believing in Mindy Kaling’s lies about the director and Greg Daniels’ previous relationship, as B.J. Novak refrained from giving his honest opinion on the cut, The Office never got to see the edits that Novak actually wanted. Thankfully, the actor finally decided to confront Daniels about his alleged former girlfriend, when he realized that Kaling had made it all up, which eventually affected his work.
Mindy Kaling’s Kelly manipulated Ryan with her pregnancy lie
Now while B.J. Novak recalled Mindy Kaling‘s harmless lies and practical pranks from The Office set and laughed at how he was often bullied by his co-star, the situation seemed quite similar to that portrayed in the show. Kaling’s character Kelly Kapoor seemingly mirrored her knack for manipulation with a particularly audacious lie in Season 3 of the mockumentary sitcom.
Remember the outrageous lie spun by Kelly Kapoor in The Office, to set a date with B.J. Novak’s Ryan Howard? Yes, we’re talking about the shocking pregnancy storyline. After sleeping with Ryan on February 13, and becoming obsessed with him, as Kelly tried to seduce him into hanging out with her again, the character used her dramatic pregnancy lie to seek commitment from Ryan and go on a date.
Kaling’s Kelly Kapoor with Novak’s Ryan Howard on The Office | image: NBCThereafter, while this hilarious and audacious lie cemented Kelly Kapoor as one of the most unforgettable characters on The Office, it also seemed to draw a parallel between the character and Mindy Kaling’s off-screen persona. Overall whatever might be the situation, whether onscreen or offscreen, B.J. Novak was always a victim of Kaling’s lies.
The Office is currently available to watch on Peacock.
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