Coordinated family costumes are off the table in the Kaling household. Mindy Kaling expressed that while she and her children enjoy Halloween, getting them all to agree on a matching costume is unlikely anytime soon.
During an interview with PEOPLE at ChainFEST on Saturday, Oct. 5, the 45-year-old actress shared, “I have too many disparate personalities in my house to do a family costume — although I would love that.” “I tried to have them go as the Super Mario brothers,” she reminisced at the Los Angeles food festival but added, “That’s not happening this year.”
To embrace the spooky season, Kaling revealed that her favorite horror film is Rosemary’s Baby, although she acknowledges it’s not suitable for family viewing. “Classic,” she noted about the 1968 film. “Not good for kids. For kids, Hotel Transylvania.”
This Halloween marks Kaling’s first with three children, as she welcomed her daughter Anne quietly in February 2024. Her older children, daughter Katherine “Kit” Swati, 6, and son Spencer Avu, 4, will be veterans of the holiday. Last year, the family celebrated Halloween with trick-or-treating—definitely in non-matching costumes, as Kaling showcased on Instagram.
For Halloween 2023, Kit will transform into Princess Tiana from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog in a green gown, while Spencer will dress as a firetruck, complete with a miniature version he can carry with shoulder straps.
Kaling herself will wear a Cookie Monster mask and blue top for the outing with her children. Since their births, Kaling has kept her kids’ faces out of the public eye and has never disclosed the identity of their father.
Discussing her choice to protect their privacy, she previously told PEOPLE, “I feel like I might as well wait until they get old enough so they can tell me if they want to be part of my social media or not.”
However, she admitted, “I’m like any parent where I’m proud of the things they do. I think they’re so cute, and of course, I want other people to see it.” Reflecting on her journey as a mother since 2021, Kaling emphasized the importance of community in raising her children.
“I wouldn’t be able to maintain my full-time professional career while caring for two children under the age of 3 without the incredibly strong relationship I have with my nanny,” she explained.
“Also with my dad [Avu], who comes over to the house at least twice a day to take my son out for walks and to pick up my daughter and bring her home.” Kaling concluded, “My village is small, and I wish it was bigger.”