Mindy Kaling Shares Rare Snaps of Son During His 5th Birthday Party

Mindy Kaling‘s son is another year older!

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Sex Lives of College Girls creator, 46, shared several photos and videos from her son Spencer’s Back to the Future-themed 5th birthday party. In the caption of the photos, Kaling called her son the “snuggliest, funniest guy ever.”

“Happy 5th birthday to the snuggliest, funniest guy ever. Spencer loves monster trucks, hot dogs, Thomas the Tank Engine, donuts, someone scratching his hand, and probably most of all, Back to the Future, which is why it was the theme of his birthday!” she wrote.

“Great Scott, Spencer! I love this boy so much, such an original, with such a great sense of humor. “Good news, Mommy, it’s my birthday.” It is!! I LOVE YOU!”

The Running Point creator is also a mom to daughters Anne, 18 months, and Katherine, 7. When it comes to birthday parties before 4 years old, Kaling told late-night host Jimmy Kimmel during the Wednesday, Feb. 26 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live that she feels “a little guilty.” The mom of three said she likes to keep things ” very lowkey” in the beginning.

“I’m not proud of this, but for the first four years of birthday parties for my kids, I am so cheap,” she told Kimmel. “I don’t invite the hundred people over. It’s just me and my kids and we do something at my dad and stepmom’s house.”

When Kimmel responded by saying that is a “normal” birthday party, Kaling added, “Yes, but you know in L.A., when Maroon 5 isn’t showing up to sing, you feel guilty. You feel a little guilty when you see [big parties] on Instagram.”

The Office alum also shared the one tradition that she does with all of her children for their birthdays.

“The one tradition we have is that … we go to my dad and stepmom’s house. They throw a little dinner, and I like pretend I have to go to the bathroom,” she said. “Then, I walk outside and put on an Elmo costume.”

Although it’s an annual birthday tradition, Kaling admitted to Kimmel that she doesn’t really know if her youngest daughter is into the infamous character.

“The first child I educated on Elmo and she was interested in reading the books and watching the show and then by the third kid it was like I don’t know what she’s watching,” she said. “So, she doesn’t have a lot of exposure to Elmo, but that’s why we’re not playing an Elmo song. It’s [“Celebration”] by Kool & the Gang.”

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During an appearance on the Thursday, March 6 episode of Today, Kaling, who welcomed her daughter Anne in February 2024, spoke with anchor Savannah Guthrie about how her life has changed since she became a mom of three.

“When I had two children, I felt like you would go to my house, and it was like, ‘Ahh, a tasteful, colorful home with a woman who has children,’ ” she said.

“And now it looks like I run a preschool of 40 children,” she added. “There’s weird mechanical toys going up. You step on LEGOs. It really is more of a mess.”