Mindy Kaling talks about Elle cover controversy with David Letterman: 'I didn’t expect this reaction'

Mindy Kaling’s Elle cover has drawn controversy this week, since the magazine decided to use a close-up of Kaling, rather than use a full-body image like it did for Amy Poehler, Zooey Deschanel and Allison Williams. The comedienne has had a funny reaction to the firestorm, noting that she never expected this kind of reaction. Kaling was on The Late Show with David Letterman Friday night and they chatted about it.

The Mondy Project star told Letterman that it was her first shoot for a fashion magazine, “which is such an awesome, nice thing…It felt great!”

When she first saw the final cover, which is in black and white and shows her wearing a blazer, she thought “I look so, like, beautiful,” notes, E! News.

“I thought, ‘Wow, I've never looked better. I feel like I look like a movie star on it!'” she told Letterman. She then joked, “It's black and white, it looks like I died at my most beautiful.”

Kaling, who shot to stardom on The Office, said that her defenders may have went a bit overboard. “I didn't expect this reaction,” she said, later adding, “There was a weird reaction, which was, ‘Does Elle magazine think Mindy's not skinny enough to show her whole body, standing up from head to toe?'”

She said that most people assumed that the cover implied, “‘What, Elle, you can't put her big, fat body on the magazine? Why? 'Cause she's just fat and gruesome? Why can't we look at her beautiful fat body?’”

For her, the big reaction should have been to her not wearing a top. “I'm wearing a blazer, but not a top,” she pointed out.

The cover is one of four for Elle’s new ‘Women in Television’ issue. Poehler, Williams and Deschanel are all in color on their covers, with their full bodies shown. “Mindy looks sexy, beautiful and chic. We think it is a striking and sophisticated cover and are thrilled to celebrate her in our Women in TV Issue,” Elle said in a statement.

Kaling has also responded on Twitter:

image: Elle

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.