DNC: Mindy Kaling Jokes She ‘Courageously Outed Kamala Harris as Indian’ and Praises ‘Values Her Mother Passed Down’

variety.com:

Selome Hailu As celebrity host of the third night of the Democratic National Convention, Mindy Kaling took the stage to support the presidential campaign of Kamala Harris, who she said she calls a friend.

After joking that she was “the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video,” Kaling shared her observations from one of the first times she met the vice president: “She wasn’t Madam Vice President then — she was my senator, and we were filming a video where she came to my home to cook dosas, a South Indian dish,” Kaling recalled. “It’s not every day that a senator comes over, and I was pretty nervous, but when she arrived, we immediately hit it off.

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.” Kaling explained that while her mother became an OGBYN, Harris’ mother, Shyamala, was a scientist who searched for a cure for cancer: “It was clear to me that Shyamala had passed down the same optimism and fearlessness to her daughter,” she said. “But the thing I remember the most about the Vice President is that Kamala Harris can cook, guys,” Kaling said, laughing, before pointing out Harris’ thoughtfulness towards Kaling’s children. “She was so much better than me, but she also knew that my family was watching.

So as she gently corrected my sloppy dosa making, she was complimenting me every step of the way, making sure that my daughter, Kit, heard how good of a cook I am.