'The Office': BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling's 'tumultuous' relationship inspired Ryan, Kelly's on-screen romance

‘The Office’ star Mindy Kaling received Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television at Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday night. According to Hollywood reporter, actor B.J. Novak, who presented the award to her, recalled his ‘tumultuous’ relationship with his ex-girlfriend and colleague.

In a nearly eight-minute tribute, Novak recalled his days on the sets of ‘The Office’ and hailed Kaling for her writing skills.

‘The first thing I first noticed about Mindy in [The Office] writer’s room is that she cared so much about everything. Whether Jim and Pam should kiss, the philosophical limits of Dwight’s loyalty to Michael, exactly how many seconds Kevin would roll around in his spilt chilli,’ he said.

Novak further said, ‘We were in love with each other, and we were reckless idiots, and the two of us would argue about all of these things forever grinding the writers’ room into a halt until we got too upset and we go to our respective offices and slammed the door where we would continue arguing over AOL and instant messenger. It was 2005.’

Novak revealed that the rest of the writers’ room eventually figured out their relationship dynamics in real life, which he termed as ‘tumultuous, romantic, toxic, boundary-less mess’. He said this inspired the fictional characters of Kelly and Ryan together.

In her acceptance speech, Mindy Kaling shared fond memories with Novak and said that he has remained her closest friend. She thanked him for standing beside her even after seeing all the ups and downs and said it means the world to her.

She further thanked ‘The Office’ producers Greg Daniels and Howard Klein for giving her such a huge opportunity to start her career.

For the unversed, BJ Novak and Mindy Kaling reportedly dated from 2004-2007 and did nearly 200 episodes of ‘The Office’ together.

Also Watch| Nick Jonas reacts to Priyanka Chopra’s first look from her upcoming series ‘Citadel’