What Happened To The Cast Of The Mindy Project?

When "The Office" star Mindy Kaling created her own show, "The Mindy Project," she set out to redefine the kinds of roles women were allowed to play in sitcoms. "I really fell in love with the format where the main character was very flawed," she told Variety years later. "It was something you had seen countless times on sitcoms with men, but you hadn't seen with women. And I was so excited to play that part in a bigger capacity than I had."

To accomplish that goal, she invented Dr. Mindy Lahiri — a woman who desperately wants to be in love, at the expense of just about every other facet of her life. Still, she's a great doctor, a good coworker, and eventually, a great mom. Mindy's adventures won the show legions of fans — even as it moved from network television to Hulu — and viewers fell in love with the show's quirky, compelling ensemble cast. "The Mindy Project" came to an end in 2017 after six seasons on the air, and fans have plenty of choices for where to follow the cast next.

Mindy Kaling created, wrote, and starred on "The Mindy Project," playing Dr. Mindy Lahiri. She's a romantic, a woman absolutely convinced that she deserves the romance she sees in her favorite movies ... but she's unsure how to find it. Her romantic exploits are at the heart of "The Mindy Project," a show that's also about her friendships with the various doctors and nurses who work at the same OB/GYN. "Mindy Lahiri, is by far the most fun part I've ever gotten to play," Kaling told Deadline as the series drew to a close. "She has so many wonderfully funny sides, but also, she surprises you all the time with her sense of morality ... She's [a] great doctor, good mom, but also could be very vicious and sarcastic and weak and cowardly. It's just such a great character to play."

Since "The Mindy Project" ended, Kaling has gone on to create several other television shows. She was the creative force behind Netflix's since-canceled "Never Have I Ever," guiding the show through four well-received seasons about a high school girl trying to find her own rom-com boyfriend. She's also responsible for Max's "The Sex Lives of College Girls," the show that launched the career of Reneé Rapp.

Kaling still acts, including voicing Velma Dinkley on "Velma," Max's reimagining of "Scooby Doo." She also starred in "Late Night," a film about a woman who writes for a late-night talk show, and she's appeared on numerous episodes of "The Morning Show."

For a while, as Dr. Danny Castellano, Chris Messina provided the main romantic counterpart to Dr. Mindy Lahiri. The early series pulses with an exciting will-they, won't-they between the two; Danny is always there, even as Mindy goes off and dates innumerable other men. At one point, they were engaged, but when the relationship fell apart, Messina's role on the show was reduced. Still, he returned for the final few episodes of the series. "I love them as a group, the troupe of actors, the producers, the directors we've had, the writers, the crew — it was some of the best people I've worked with," Messina told The Hollywood Reporter. "In going out and doing other stuff, I've just missed them."

Messina has indeed gone out and done plenty of other stuff since "The Mindy Project" ended. He starred in the Harley Quinn movie "Birds of Prey," played a detective on the HBO miniseries "Sharp Objects," and showed up as sports agent David Falk in Ben Affleck's basketball shoe movie "Air." He also had a pivotal role in Clint Eastwood's 2024 film "Juror #2."

On "Based On A True Story," a Peacock dark comedy co-starring Kaley Cuoco, Messina plays a father who gets wrapped up in a serial killer's exploits. "It must be a difficult show to write," he told ScreenRant. "It's certainly a difficult one to act, because it's a fine line of being not funny at all, or too pushed and absurd and not landing the heart."

In addition to acting on "The Mindy Project" as a wacky nurse named Morgan, Ike Barinholtz was one of the show's main writers. As Morgan, he provides reliable comedic relief, always coming in with an off-the-wall remark that throws everyone for a loop. As a writer, Barinholtz provided the show with a big chunk of its comedic sensibility, and he told Glamour that getting to work on a show that appreciated his "stupid and loud" comedy changed his life. "I went from being a 35-year-old dude to a father of two little girls [during this show]," he said. "[Mindy Kaling] has taken up a space in my life where I'm as close to her as I am most people I've grown up with and stayed best friends with. It's been a privilege watching her become this badass boss, and she is one of the funniest people in the world."

After "The Mindy Project," Barinholtz wrote, directed, and starred in "The Oath," a satire about a near-future government that requires citizens to swear loyalty. He's a prolific voice actor, having lent his talents to shows like "Bless the Harts," "Central Park," "Chicago Party Aunt," and "The Simpsons." Barinholtz also wrote and acted in Mel Brooks' long-awaited "History of the World Part II," a delightfully silly miniseries for Hulu. He's also worked in film, having starred in "The Hunt" and "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent." In 2025, Barinholtz will appear in the new Apple TV+ series "The Studio."

On "The Mindy Project," Ed Weeks played Dr. Jeremy Reed, a British doctor who's quite the womanizer. Jeremy and Mindy have a bit of a history — who can forget those "bedroom dates?" — but for the most part, he has his own hapless romantic exploits that are a foil to Mindy's pursuit of love. Weeks told Assignment X that he loved being on the show, but by the time the finale came around, he was ready to say goodbye to Shulman & Associates. "I mean, six years is a long time. I think it was enough," he mused. "Of course, I would have happily gone on forever, because it's such a lovely bunch of people and [Kaling] is such a genius."

After "The Mindy Project" drew to a close, Weeks starred on a short-lived, but excellent sitcom called "LA to Vegas." He played a frequent passenger on a short flight, getting into squabbles with the flight crew and the other regulars. He appeared in the 2024 film "French Girl," provided voice work to shows like "Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight," and even stopped in for an episode of Mindy Kaling's Max show "Velma."

In addition to acting, Weeks is also part of a band called Crazy Girl Therapy. Though they haven't updated their Instagram since 2022, for a few years they released comedic singles like "Carl Jung'n," "ASMR Meltdown," and "Birth Time."

For the first two seasons of "The Mindy Project," Zoe Jarman played Beth Putsch, a well-meaning, chipper receptionist at Shulman & Associates. She didn't mind that her character was a smaller part of a much bigger group, telling Slate that she liked getting to play off of the bigger characters. "Being one note in an ensemble is incredible, because not only do I get to have a funny moment, but I get to set up funny moments for other people," she explained. "Betsy is a weirdo straight man."

After she left "The Mindy Project," Jarman appeared on "Workaholics" and "Comedy Bang! Bang!" She lent her voice to a podcast called "Melon's House Party," and she's been in numerous short films, such as "The Sub," "The Fun Company," and "Beta." Jarman also wrote, directed, and starred in her own short film, which was titled "Coda" — no relation to the Best Picture winner from 2021.

In fact, Jarman has been a writer on numerous projects since "The Mindy Project," spending much of her time behind the camera instead of in front of it. She wrote on "Teenage Bounty Hunters," "Master of None," "Workaholics," "Fired On Mars," and "The Decameron."

Beth Grant is the actor behind Beverly, a nurse who gets fired and then sticks around Shulman & Associates as a receptionist. Beverly's a blast to watch; she has trouble maintaining any facade of politeness, which is, of course, a tough personality to have for a medical professional. In one of the show's earliest heightened, over-the-top moments, Beverly and Mindy physically fight, with Beverly ultimately breaking Mindy's nose. Grant told Entertainment Weekly that she was in awe of her co-star, gushing, "I mean, she's my ideal — she's who I want to be when I grow up. One woman stood tall and stood strong and let her voice be heard — that you could star, produce, write, shepherd, be a fashion icon, do it all — it is possible."

Grant is a character actor who's been in the entertainment business for a long while. She was in films like "Speed," "Donnie Darko," and "No Country for Old Men," and since "The Mindy Project" ended, she's continued to turn up all over Hollywood. Grant can be spotted on "Dollface" and "Grace and Frankie," played a cop in the Nicolas Cage evil animatronics movie "Willy's Wonderland," and appeared on the Netflix series "A Series of Unfortunate Events." She also had an arc on the first season of AMC drama "The Mayfair Witches," appearing in five episodes as the witchy lawyer Carlotta Mayfair.

Adam Pally feels integral to "The Mindy Project," but his Dr. Peter Prentice wasn't part of the show's cast until the second season. He's a sardonic, sarcastic presence on the show, always getting into shenanigans, many of which stem from his past as a frat boy. Still, as with just about every other character on the show, he eventually endears himself to everyone he works with. Pally spent two seasons as a main character, and then from Season 4 and beyond, he just recurred occasionally. He told Vulture that despite a fan outcry, he was ready to move on. "'The Mindy Project' was an amazing experience. I appreciated the way they treated me from day one, and the send-off was perfect, I thought," he said.

Pally is quite prolific. In the decade since he stepped back from the show, he's had a very busy career on both television and film. Pally was in "Dirty Grandpa," "The Little Hours," "Most Likely to Murder," and more, and on television, he's been on "American Dad," "Indebted," "Archibald's Next Big Thing," and many more.

Perhaps most famously, Pally plays Wade Whipple in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" franchise. He's a human police officer who helps Sonic and friends in their battle against the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), and he's played the role in all three theatrical films and on the Paramount+ original show "Knuckles."

Xosha Roquemore joined the cast of "The Mindy Project" in the final few episodes of the show's first season. Her character Tamra is a nurse who's initially hired to replace Morgan. He, of course, comes back, and Tamra sticks around anyway, emerging as one of the show's main characters in later seasons. She's a quick character, always ready with a comeback, and she eventually wins over the team. In the show's final season, Tamra decides that it's time to become a mother. "She's so self-involved and so young and millennial and only cares about going out and being cool, so I think wanting to get pregnant is just such a huge 180," Roquemore told The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a good thing to do in the final season, it shows some growth."

Roquemore has worked consistently on television in the years since she said goodbye to "The Mindy Project." She had arcs on "Black Monday," "I'm Dying Up Here," and "The First Wives Club," and she led the cast of "Cherish the Day," an OWN series from director Ava DuVernay. On film, Roquemore appeared in "Space Jam: A New Legacy" and had a role in Netflix's "Family Switch."

She's also worked with a few of her "Mindy Project" co-stars on other projects. Roquemore appeared in the film "Who Invited Charlie?" alongside Adam Pally, and in 2024, she stopped in for an episode of Mindy Kaling's Max show "The Sex Lives of College Girls."

Garret Dillahunt joined "The Mindy Project" in the show's fourth season, playing a new character named Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney. He was initially brought in to take the job vacated by Danny (Chris Messina), but he doesn't fit in with the others nearly as well as Danny did. Jody's kind of a jerk and a womanizer, and he even tips over the line into full-on discrimination. Still, as with everyone else on this show, the man can be quite funny. Dillahunt told Entertainment Weekly that he was joining an already funny cast, insisting, "They don't need my help, but I'm glad they brought me along."

Though Dillahunt also starred on "Raising Hope" for several seasons, he's not exclusively known for comedies. While acting on "The Mindy Project," he was also on the Amazon show "Hand of God," a significantly more serious show about the justice system. After "The Mindy Project," Dillahunt spent many years on AMC's "Fear the Walking Dead," playing a former cop who finds himself wandering a new, lawless post-apocalyptic land. In 2024, he joined the cast of ABC's whip-smart procedural "High Potential."

He's not just a television actor, either. In the years after "The Mindy Project," Dillahunt could be seen in Michael Bay's "Ambulance," Zack Snyder's "Army of the Dead," and the Daisy Edgar-Jones-starring "Where the Crawdads Sing."

Stand-up comedian Fortune Feimster joined the cast of "The Mindy Project" in the show's fourth season, playing the gregarious nurse Collette. She's the sister of Garret Dillahunt's character, Dr. Jody Kimball-Kinney, and though Collette is initially nervous, she eventually comes out to her brother as a lesbian. Collette even moves in with Mindy at one point, the two growing close even outside their office. Though Feimster has acted before, she told The Hollywood Reporter that "The Mindy Project" won her a new legion of fans unfamiliar with her stand-up work. "'Mindy's' been helpful for me because it's showing people I'm not just a stand-up," she said. "They're getting to see my acting side so it's opened up this whole new world for me which I am grateful for. Because a lot of stand-ups don't get that opportunity."

Feimster has continued to act since "The Mindy Project" went off the air. She was on "Champions," "Kenan," "The L Word: Generation Q," "Life In Pieces," and "Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens," among many more. She's a voice actor, too, lending her talents to "Bless the Harts," "Summer Camp Island," and "Craig of the Creek," in addition to an arc on Mindy Kaling's animated show "Velma."

Though she was excited for the chance to branch out, Feimster is also still a prolific stand-up comedian. She's released several Netflix specials, including "Sweet & Salty," "Crushing It," and "Good Fortune," which is essential viewing for stand-up fans.

Mark Duplass recurred throughout "The Mindy Project" as a midwife named Brendan. Occasionally, he was joined by his real-life brother Jay, but Mark frequently appeared by himself as well. The brothers often have a good-midwife/bad-midwife situation going on; whereas Jay's character Duncan could be good-natured and fun, Brendan rubbed everyone at Shulman & Associates the wrong way. Speaking with Indiewire about their experience on the show, Mark took the chance to gush about showrunner Mindy Kaling. "I think Jay and I both agree that Mindy is one of the great writers, particularly for TV," he said. "She's very good at getting the voices of these characters on paper, but we come up with little things here and there that are brought in the moment."

Mark Duplass is primarily known for his work in the indie film space, and that has very much continued in the years since "The Mindy Project" ended its run. He was in "Tully," "Duck Butter," "Paddleton," and "Bombshell," among many others. He was one of the creative minds behind his and Jay's anthology series "Room 104," and he also appeared in 30 episodes of "The Morning Show" as Chip Black.

In 2024, Duplass reprised one of his most famous roles. He starred in two found-footage horror movies called "Creep" and "Creep 2," and that year he returned to the unsettling franchise for "The Creep Tapes."

Comedy legend Rhea Perlman played Annette on multiple episodes of "The Mindy Project." Annette is Danny's mother, and she's a thorn in Mindy's side at times when their relationship is going well. Mindy is desperate for Annette to like her, and the two trade deliciously cutting quips back and forth any time they're on screen together. Perlman told Glamour that she enjoyed getting to play in the show's world. "I tend toward the outrageous anyway in what I like, so the more stupid stuff they can give me, the happier I am," she said. "I told them I wanted to wear a wig for the whole character. I wasn't going to make it funny, but I didn't want to be that curly-haired woman, and they were so into it. Anything I wanted to do, they were so great. Mindy is just so wonderful."

Perlman — who spent more than a decade on "Cheers" and is perhaps best known to millennials for her role in "Matilda" — has continued to act since "The Mindy Project" ended. She was in "Poms," "Funny Face," and "You People," and she's appeared on television shows like "Poker Face," "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." In 2023, Perlman played Barbie creator Ruth Handler in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie."