Mindy Kaling participated in the nostalgic Instagram trend of 2016, but her post was a little more emotional.
In the caption of a throwback snap, the actress admitted she was hesitant to join the viral trend because she looked “different” than she did 10 years ago during her weight loss makeover.
“I saw this trend in 2016 and loved it, and I rarely post it because it looks different, but this photo is so much fun that I can’t help but share it. (Can anyone else relate? lol) But I loved this time and all the memories since then, so I had to post it! Enjoy!!!!,” she wrote on Thursday.
But fans were thrilled for her in the comments section of a merry-go-round where she posted several behind-the-scenes photos from her hit show, The Mindy Project.
“It was funny then. It’s funny now. It was beautiful then. It’s beautiful now,” one fan chimed in. Another added: “I empathize. But if it wasn’t for that moment, we wouldn’t be here today.”
“This is the Mindy we fell in love with. Not because of your weight or dress size, you are a talented writer, creator, and comedic genius,” a third fan wrote.
Kaling, who began her weight loss journey in 2020, attended a star-studded Golden Eve event last week, flaunting her 40-pound weight loss in a daring cut-out dress.
There has been speculation that Kaling, 46, turned to GLP-1 weight loss drugs to get in shape, but she insists she simply ate less.
“I eat what I want. No amount of restrictive dieting will ever work for me. I just eat less,” she told Entertainment Tonight in April 2022.
She also said that after welcoming her second child in September 2020, she decided to start being more conscious of what she was consuming.
By March 2023, the “Never Have I Ever” author had lost 40 pounds.
“I feel really confident in my body these days, which unfortunately hasn’t been something I’ve been able to say my whole life,” she told People magazine in May 2023, adding that she tries “not to look at” headlines about her weight.
By July of that year, the “Office” alum declared she had stopped talking about her weight loss because people took it “very personal.”
During an interview with Allure, Kaling was asked if she had anything to say to those who feel they’ve lost an “ally” in the body inclusion movement, but she dismissed the question.
“It’s not really fun for me to talk about my body and how it’s analyzed. So I think I’m just going to stay out of it because unfortunately it takes over the conversation,” she told the outlet.
Despite all the backlash, Kaling proudly said that year that her weight loss had made her “the healthiest I’ve been in years.”
