Mindy Kaling slated to host night 3 of Democratic National Convention

Mindy Kaling is set to be the latest star to take a turn hosting a night of the Democratic National Convention.
Following the leads of “Scandal” actor Tony Goldwyn and “The View” co-host Ana Navarro, Kaling will serve as the master of ceremonies Wednesday when the DNC resumes in Chicago. Kerry Washington is scheduled to host the final evening of the convention on Thursday, when Kamala Harris will formerly accept the party’s nomination for president of the United States.
Kaling, 45, is among the many celebrities who have rallied around Vice President Harris’ campaign ever since President Joe Biden announced in July that he would not seek a second term. This week’s DNC, which has largely taken place at the United Center, has been a star-studded event of both the Hollywood and political variety.
The list of guest speakers this week include notable figures like basketball coach Steve Kerr and political heavyweights like the Obamas, the Clintons and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Here’s what to know about Kaling and her upcoming hosting gig.
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Kaling rose to prominence after launching her career at 24 years old as the only female writer on “The Office” writing staff in 2004.
In the years since, Kaling has written three books and created TV comedies like “The Mindy Project,” “Never Have I Ever” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls.” Most recently, Kaling voiced the main character on Max’s “Velma,” an animated adult Scooby-Doo spinoff for which Kaling also serves as executive producer.
Kaling is also a mother of three.
Kaling and Harris go back at least as far as 2019, when the pair made a cooking video together in which they made masala dosa, a South Indian dish.
When Kaling teased Harris for being a “show-off,” Harris, then a U.S. senator, quipped in the video, “I take it very seriously.”
Kaling co-chaired a fundraiser event with Reese Witherspoon, hosted by Harris for Biden’s campaign in 2020. Kaling also hosted a campaign fundraising event for Biden earlier in March.
In 2023, Kaling was among the recipients honored by Biden with a delayed 2021 National Humanities Medal and National Medal of Arts.
The convention will air live on its website, from the United Center in Chicago between 6:15 p.m. and 11 p.m. Eastern (5:15 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) on Monday, and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern (6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Central) the other days.
USA TODAY will stream every day of the Democratic National Convention, which takes place Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. You can watch night one on the embedded video above or on USA TODAY’s YouTube channel.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]