This Upcoming ‘Mindy Project’ Plot May Hit Close To Home For Mindy Kaling

There are plenty of reasons to love The Mindy Project, and you just might end up loving the show even more when you learn what timely theme the show will tackle next season. According to Refinery29, at the Television Critics Association panel with the show's cast and crew, it was revealed mommy-shaming would be tackled on The Mindy Project. The timing of this subject matter coming into play on The Mindy Project Season 6 is rather intriguing, considering that rumors are swirling that the show's star, Mindy Kaling, might be pregnant. If those rumors turn out to be true, Kaling's potential real-world experiences as a mom would let her bring some new, authentic insights into her character and the way the show deals with mommy-shaming.

Of course, no one should assume that Kaling would automatically be a target for mommy-shaming if she were pregnant and eventually a mother herself. Rather, this is all interesting because Kaling — who is also a producer and writer on the show — would be able to lend her own insight on the experiences of motherhood in a raw, real way if she were indeed pregnant. Her character, Mindy, is already a mother on the show, so the ability to draw on those real-life emotions from being a mom in the public eye would only strengthen the fictional Mindy's characterization as a mother.

"I think she's going to learn a little bit more about how to be a good, involved parent," Kaling reportedly said at the panel, regarding her TV character. "The episode is a little bit about mom-shaming, and that's cool. It was really fun and hit a lot of those juicy, ripped-from-the-blogger-headline storylines."

For now, this is all just incredibly interesting timing. It would seem that, at best, life and art are intersecting in unusual ways where Kaling is concerned. It should be noted that Kaling hasn't publicly confirmed her pregnancy. (When the baby rumors first began, Bustle reached out to Kaling's rep, but did not receive an immediate response.) And despite the fact that the trustworthy Oprah Winfrey may have spilled the beans, fans can't be 100 percent certain until she confirms it herself.

As such, all of this news and the way it is coming together paints a very... interesting picture and it could all add a layer of authenticity to Season 6.

Even if Kaling were not pregnant in real life, it's great to see The Mindy Project is remaining bold in their vision by wading into the middle of yet another timely topic. The irksome practice of mommy-shaming is something we see all too often, be it celebrity moms (like Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen), or regular moms who come under intense scrutiny on social media. Considering The Mindy Project has taken aim at topics like white male privilege on previous seasons, it will be amusing to see how they approach mommy-shaming with the same comic yet incisive eye.

However things shake out, one thing's for certain: Season 6 of The Mindy Project is going to be unmissable.