Mindy Kaling Just Learned A Legally Blonde Fact That Blew Her Mind

Mindy Kaling has once again outed herself as a Legally Blonde stan. On Saturday, Aug. 21, the actor posted a snippet of a listicle full of behind-the-scenes movie wardrobe facts on her Instagram story and expressed disbelief at what she’d learned about one of Elle Woods’ notable outfits. Kaling was so shocked to learn that Reese Witherspoon’s friend Molly Stern had designed the pink halter dress Elle wore during the breakup scene with Warner that she tagged Stern, writing, “What?? @mollystern is this true?!”

Stern, who is Witherspoon’s longtime makeup artist, reposted the clip to her own Instagram story and added stickers that read “it me” and “fact.” Kaling also confirmed the news for fans on her own story afterward, sharing another still from Legally Blonde and text saying, “Update! It’s true!”

Both Legally Blonde, which premiered in 2001, and its 2003 sequel have remained a fashion touchstone for many fans. The breakup dress was one of Elle Woods’ many iconic pink-forward outfits, most of which were the work of costume designer Sophie Carbonell. Stern’s dress, however, got the spotlight as the heroine memorably went on the date she expected to mark her engagement but instead ended with her having to accept a ride home from her newly minted ex to avoid ruining her shoes.

The movies’ outfits were much loved by their star. In November 2019, Witherspoon revealed during an interview on The Graham Norton Show that she kept every costume from Legally Blonde, having written keeping the garments into her contract. The Oscar winner confirmed that she walked away from the movie with “all my wardrobe,” including 77 pairs of Jimmy Choos.

Kaling, who became a close friend of Witherspoon’s while filming A Wrinkle in Time, has good reason to be revisiting Legally Blonde trivia. In May 2020, the Never Have I Ever creator announced she is co-writing Legally Blonde 3 with Dan Goor, tweeting, “Elle Woods is so iconic, proving you can be girly and smart at the same time. Bend and snap people!” Witherspoon enthusiastically replied to the post, tweeting, “I’M SOOOOO EXCITED!!”

In October, Kaling gave a Legally Blonde 3 update during an interview on Good Morning America, telling hosts that “it’s been really funny to write” and she thinks “it’s going to be a great movie for Reese [Witherspoon] and people are going to love to see her in this part.” The former Office star noted that she was “was nervous because the movie is so iconic” but fell into a rhythm when she realized most of the script will be involved with catching up with Elle Woods in her 40s.

Legally Blonde 3 is still in production and doesn’t yet have a release date. In January, Kaling teased new details during an interview with Access, saying the production timeline is unclear due to coronavirus but “if Reese likes the script, shooting it this year would be awesome.” The Wrinkle in Time star was also sure to note that beloved moments from the film would make it into the new installment. “Bend and Snap is forever,” Kaling said in the interview. “We definitely have a lot of fan favorites from the original movie.”