The Mindy Project was a mix of Sex and the City, Bridget Jones Diary, and any kind of light-hearted medical show. Starring Mindy Kaling as Mindy Lahiri, the show was based on Mindy's life in New York City as an OBGYN who was trying to find love. With Kaling as the creator of the show, her comedic genius was felt throughout the series and helped it last for six seasons.
Like many shows on TV, The Mindy Project was met with just as many criticisms as it did with laughs. Race, gender, and sexuality were at the forefront of the show's drama but the cast and crew handled each critic with honesty and reason. Keep scrolling to see 10 controversies that could have killed the show.
Why Did Mindy Only Date White Dudes?
Before Mindy got more serious with Danny, The Mindy Project revolved greatly around Mindy's love life. She met so many different men in funny and unique ways around the city. But as a woman of color, other people of color were hoping to see more people of color on the show.
A few critics had a problem with Mindy only dating white guys. Kaling has been applauded for breaking the glass ceiling as a South Asian woman in the industry but they were underwhelmed by her choice of love interests.
And Why Wasn't There More People Of Color?
In 2015, critics were upset with The Mindy Project's lack of diversity. Not only did Mindy only date white men but there was only one other person of color that worked at Shulman Associates with her. Mindy responded to these comments and was upset that her cast was seen just for their race.
"I always think it's funny that I'm the only asked about this when sitcoms I love with female leads rarely date men of color," she said. "I guess white women are expected to date white men. I'm expected to 'stick to my own.'" Mindy defended her choices, however, and was happy with the way the show turned out.
Was An Episode About 'Butt Stuff' Taboo?
In the episode "I Slipped," Mindy and Danny get into an odd disagreement after a night of bedroom fun. Without getting into too much detail, Danny "slipped" and Mindy was unimpressed. Throughout the episode, Mindy tries to get Danny to it that he didn't slip on accident, it was on purpose.
The episode was comical and relatable for some, while others thought the moment was taboo. Mindy defended the episode by saying “There are nine of us in the writers' room and if something is making us debate issues or we are scared by it, a lot of times that means we should do it,” she said. She and the writers wanted to write things people were scared of talking about.
Leo Destroyed The Nature Of The Show
Part of what made Mindy Lahiri to relatable to so many single 30-something-year-olds was her desire to date until she found Mr. Right while working at a job she loved. She was obsessed with pop culture and dropped references often, she loved fashion and always wore bright colors, and she loved New York.
The show was upbeat and relatable. But once Mindy found out she was pregnant, everything changed for The Mindy Project. The focus was still on Mindy but having a baby threw a wrench in the life we loved viewing. Adding Leo to the mix was enough to make viewers stop watching.
One Episode Got Too Political
Following the controversy that The Mindy Project was too "white," there was an episode in the fifth season titled “Mindy Lahiri Is a White Man." And it's exactly what you think. Mindy wakes up in bed as a white man and goes about her day as one. She finds out how much easier white men have it and had fun pretending to be one. As a white man, she got a job call-back, hailed a cab, and was able to do things Mindy Lahiri always had problems doing.
As if the topic wasn't controversial enough, the writer of the episode, Lang Fisher, based the idea around U.S. President, Donald Trump, when he was running in the election.
Turning Sexual Harassment Concerns Into Comedy
The Mindy Project wasn't without its controversies. There were a few matters of sexual harassment that were written off as funny, which had viewers up in arms. In the episode "Teen Patient," Betsy wrote an anonymous complaint to Danny about Morgan. She complained he was "ogling" over Shauna in the workplace and it was making the office uncomfortable.
In reality, there was nothing inapt between Morgan and Shauna, Betsy was just jealous of how beautiful Shauna was. Danny tried handling the situation but when Betsy tired putting moves on him, it was almost like she wanted to be harassed to be seen as beautiful enough.
Danny's Controversial Traditional Household Roles
Diehard fans of The Mindy Project know how traditional Danny was. As an old school Italian, he thought the woman should stay at home, raise the kids, and take care of the home while the man worked. But that's not how Mindy saw things. She wanted to be a working mom—a woman who could do it all—and that was enough to break the couple up.
They began butting heads after Leo was born and Danny turned into this misogynistic dinosaur who didn't think women should have dreams of their own.
Mindy's Comments On Abortion Hovered Over The Show
As the creator of The Mindy Project, Mindy Kaling had the ultimate voice in the decision-making for the show. In the third season, Kaling's comments about abortion were heavy enough to bring criticism to the show.
In an interview with Flare, Kaling noted the topic of abortion wouldn't be brought up on The Mindy Project because "it would be demeaning to the topic to talk about it in a half-hour sitcom." Finding a funny antidote for abortion could not be found in the writers' room and she didn't want that kind of pressure in the show.
Mindy Was A White Woman In An Indian Woman's Body
The Mindy Project pushed boundaries in a multitude of ways but a red flag was held up over the use of controversial word: coconut. As described in the fourth season, Mindy goes on a date with a man named Neel who calls Mindy a coconut (brown on the outside and white on the inside). Neel was also Indian and quite judgemental of Mindy, which she took to heart.
She asks her brother Rishi if he felt the same way as Neel did and he actually agreed: “You think you’re white and I think I’m black. We skipped over that whole steez.” The topic of race and stereotypes followed The Mindy Project negatively for all six seasons.
ing Aziz During The #MeToo Movement
In the height of the #MeToo movement (about a year or two after The Mindy Project ended), actor Aziz Ansari was accused of mistreating a woman he went on a date with. The accusal affected Aziz personally and professionally but Mindy Kaling had her friend's back and showed for him on IG.
However, longtime Mindy Project fans had an issue with Mindy ing someone who potentially hurt a woman and went after her and her series who championed women in the comments section.