During a 2019 interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Kaling opened up about their relationship.
"I've known [Novak] for 16 years," she said. "We met each other when we were 24, and we're about both going to be 40 in about a month," she said. "Anyone who's known each other for that long … I think it's nice, I like when people think it's more romantic or sparkly or interesting than it is."
But, she added, their relationship is no longer romantic.
"It isn't the thing that people sometimes think it is. He's really part of my family now, which is great," she said. "Even though that's less of a sexy characterization of our relationship, I think it's a deeper and a closer one."
She added, "It's nice. We do spend a lot of time together and it's a great blessing in my life."