Mindy Kaling makes a splash at Democratic Convention mixing humor and storytelling

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Comedian, author, actor, and filmmaker, Mindy Kaling, made quite a splash when she addressed the vast packed hall of the United Center in Chicago where the National Democratic Convention was held August 19-22, 2024.

Vera Mindy Chokalingam, popularly called ‘Mindy’ or ‘Mindy Kaling’, was among several young ‘influencers’ the Democratic Party featured at the Convention, in a bid to reach out to the younger generation.

Kaling was given an important slot on August 21, being the person to introduce an important Democrat at the convention, Congressman Hakeen Jeffries, the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, and then returning to introduce another path-breaking woman – former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Kaling pretended not take her own fame for granted.

“For those of you who don’t know me, I am an incredibly famous Gen Z actress,” Kaling said, eliciting a loud laugh from the revved-up audience. Reminding people about her television appearances in famous series which are household names, The Office, The Mindy Project, “or as the woman who famously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video. You’re welcome!”

Describing Harris as “my friend” whom she was proud to be showing her support to, Kaling again reverted to humor. “… but the reason I’m here is that – true – deep down, I truly believe that as a woman of color and a single mother of three, it is incredibly important that I be appointed Ambassador to Italy,” sending the crowd into an uproar. “That’s how it works, right? It’s why I’m here. I’ve never been. I’m dying to go, and, guys, I just really need a break,” she quipped.

She commented in a wondrous aside how amazing it was that she was there to talk about the Vice President.

“… just think about it. I’m actually here because I have known the Vice President for a long time, and I want to tell you a story about the first time I ever met her,’ Kaling prefaced her story.

“She was not Madame Vice President then. She was my Senator. And we were filming a video where she came to my home. And we cooked a South Indian dish… dosa. It’s not every day a Senator comes over, and I was pretty nervous,” Kaling said.

But the two got along like a house on fire, the comedian implied. “We talked about the love we have for our moms who had both passed away from cancer. Both of our mothers were immigrants from India who came to America and committed their lives to serving others,” the Indian American actress said.

Kaling’s mother became and OB/GYN. And Harris’ became a scientist whose mission became to find a cure for cancer.

“After speaking to Kamala, it was clear to me that her mother had passed down the same optimism and fearlessness to her daughter,” said Kaling.

She went on to say, “But the thing I remember most about the Vice President is that Kamala Harris can cook. Guys, she was so much better than me. But she also knew that my family was watching, so she gently corrected my sloppiness, she complimented me every step of the way. She has no desire to be seen as better than anyone else. She just wanted mom to look good in front of her kid.”

Again reverting to a joke, Kaling said, “When we sat down to eat, she took a bite, and said, “mmm, good,” and never took another bite. That generosity of spirit is what I know she will bring to the presidency.”

Kaling ended her speech introducing current House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries. She came back to the stage again after Jeffries finished, to introduce former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

About Pelosi, the first woman Speaker in the history of the US, she said, “This woman was doing ‘brat’ before ‘brat’ was ‘brat’.”

The term “brat” was used to describe Harris by popstar Charli XCX who said, “Kamala is a Brat” in reference to the album, a meme that went viral and made Harris somewhat of a celebrity among youth, who are getting more play as a whole cohort of potential voters come November 5.