After the Academy insisted that 'no one person was singled out,' 'The Office' actress hit back with a series of tweets in which she stressed that the humiliating incident happened to her.
- Oct 10, 2019
AceShowbiz - Mindy Kaling was left unimpressed by the Television Academy's response after she accused them of discrimination, insisting their statement "doesn't make sense".
"The Office" star took aim at the organisation, which hands out the annual Emmy Awards, in an interview with Elle magazine, telling the publication that she had to prove her role in writing and executive producing the hit U.S. TV show as well as starring in it.
"They made me, not any of the other producers, fill out a whole form and write an essay about all my contributions as a writer and a producer," she said. "I had to get letters from all the other male, white producers saying that I had contributed when my actual record stood for itself."
Kaling was eventually nominated for six Emmys - one for writing and five for producing. The programme as a whole went on to win five Emmy Awards.
Following her accusations, the Television Academy responded in a statement to Variety, saying: "No one person was singled out... Every performer/producer and writer/producer was asked to justify their producer credits."
"We no longer require this justification from performer/producers and writer/producers, but we do continue to vet consulting producer credits with the (Producers Guild of America) to ensure those credited are actually functioning in the role as a producer."
Mindy then hit back again with a response on her Twitter account, writing: "Respectfully, the Academy's statement doesn't make any sense. I *was* singled out. There were other Office writer-performer-producers who were NOT cut from the list. Just me. The most junior person, and woman of colour. Easiest to dismiss. Just sayin'."
"I've never wanted to bring up that incident because The Office was one of the greatest creative experiences of my life... But I worked so hard and it was humiliating. I had written so many episodes, put in so much time in the editing room, just to have the Academy discard it because they couldn't fathom I was capable of doing it all. Thankfully I was rescued by my friends, the other producers."
"The point is, we shouldn't have to be bailed out because of the kindness our more powerful white male colleagues. Not mentioning it seemed like glossing over my story. This was like 10 years ago. Maybe it wouldn't happen now. But it happened to me."
