This year, Mindy Kaling became a new mom for the second time with a major opportunity—that she nearly didn't take.
2020 was big for the multi-talented star, who gave birth to her second child, a son named Spencer, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. To boot, she managed to keep the pregnancy a total secret from the public—until she broke the news herself more than a month after giving birth.
Six weeks after her family's new arrival, the juggling mama was presented with another milestone moment: her first Vogue cover. However, as she revealed to fans online, it was an opportunity she almost turned down.
"I was so excited to be asked to be the cover of @vogueindia's December issue but seriously nervous because I would have to shoot it six weeks after giving birth to my son Spencer," the 41-year-old Emmy nominee recalled on Instagram. "I was not feeling body confident, and even considered saying no."
Fortunately, she was supported through what has become not only her first time on the cover of a Vogue publication—a prestigious honor—but also what turned out to be a very special keepsake.
"@katiegreenthal and Vogue surrounded me with talented and wonderful people, and now I'm thrilled I have these photos as a memento of this very specific time in my life," she said. "'Post partum pandemic fabulous' is what I like to call it. Thank you @vogueindia, I love you! More photos to come. Enjoy!"
Of course, now with a toddler and a newborn in quarantine, it might be hard to keep up that level of fabulousness every day. But, having her daughter, 2-year-old Katherine, home with her from the start of this global ordeal has sweetened the sour for Kaling.
"I'm very hard-working, but I'm also very social. It was a lot of growing pains at the beginning of the pandemic," she told the magazine. "It made it easier that my daughter was here because she's so fun and funny. In the beginning, it was a lot of just us staring at each other, but I got to know her better."
In an unpredictably difficult time, it's the silver lining for a mom who aspires to have a special bond with her children as they grow up.
"The best relationship I had in my life was the one with my mom," the actress told Vogue India. "It was so pure and so fun and uncomplicated, and I hope that I can have that with my son or daughter—if I'm lucky, with at least one of my kids—when they get older."