Mindy Kaling's Son Spencer Is “Unlike Any Person” She’s Ever Met

It's no secret that the past year has put us through the ringer. After relentless rounds of lockdowns, loss, fear and hopelessness, finding joy hasn't been easy. So how does a single mom of two manage to stay upbeat in light of all that's going on in the world? For Mindy Kaling, her 5-month-old son Spencer and his "bubbly" personality have been a true "joy" since his birth in September. "I would have liked him even if he didn't have this personality," the actress tells Romper during a recent Zoom interview. "But I'm so lucky that he's just a little bit less complicated."

As any parent of one, two, or three knows, a lot of mess comes with that joy. "When you have the first one you can live your same exact life for the most part with a little change," says Kaling, who welcomed her first child, daughter Katherine "Kit" Swati, in December 2017. "The second one… I feel like I’m outnumbered now. And my house looks like a daycare center. There are toys everywhere, I basically just live among my children’s things."

Fortunately for the busy mom, who recently announced she's voicing Velma Dinkley in the Scooby Doo reboot on HBO Max, Spencer is apparently an easy kid. "[Spencer] is unlike any person I’ve ever met," The Office star says. "I feel blessed because I’m naturally kind of an anxious person. My daughter is a little bit of a similar personality to me. She’s a little bit anxious but funny and skeptical," Kaling says. "But my son, he is unlike any person I’ve ever met. He is so smiley and giggly with anybody. And I find that really disarming and nice."

Beyond soaking up her son's personality, Kaling, who's partnered with Campbell's on its Well Yes! line of soups, also says having kids forced her to simplify some aspects of her life. "I would cook a big complicated meal, and then it would take so much out of me that I never wanted to do it again," Kaling says. "One of the great things about kids is finding simpler recipes that take 30 minutes or so."

So what does dinnertime look like at the Kaling household? "Spencer is still breastfeeding, so he has his own meal," Kaling says. As for Kit, the Late Night star says her daughter is "easy to feed" and enjoys that most evocative of all childhood meals — tomato soup and a grilled cheese. And when they head out for a walk around the block, Kaling says she'll often pop two sipping soups in the microwave for an easy snack.

Between the uncertainty of the pandemic and chaos of quarantine life with little kids, Kaling says she has lucked out with Spencer's "upbeat" vibe. "Going into this new year has been really made easier by the fact that he’s just this upbeat, bubbly type of personality," she says of her son. "His personality has really changed the face of the pandemic."