Mindy Kaling has announced the birth of her third child. Nobody knew she was pregnant.

In a world where every celebrity's move is scrutinised and dissected, Mindy Kaling has managed to pull off the near-impossible: keeping not one, not two, but three pregnancies under wraps.

Yes, you read that right. The star of The Office and The Mindy Project recently revealed that she gave birth to her third child, Anne, in late February — and none of us had a clue.

So, how did she do it?

Mindy Kaling's recent birth announcement.

Kaling, who turned 45 on June 24, announced her secret third pregnancy and the arrival of her new baby girl on Instagram.

"In late February I gave birth to my daughter, Anne," Kaling wrote. 

"She's the best birthday present I could've ever imagined. When things are hard, whenever I veer towards cynicism, my three kids are such a great reminder of the pure joy in my life." 

Alongside this heartwarming message, Kaling shared a photo of Anne surrounded by her older siblings, Katherine "Kit," six, and Spencer, three.

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A post shared by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling)

The news of Anne's arrival was met with an outpouring of love from Kaling's fans, who also expressed shock and her ability to keep her pregnancy journey quiet.

"How does one have three whole children without being seen in public pregnant?" one surprised commenter asked, while another added, "Wow! You are the master at controlling your socials! Congratulations."

A third joked, "Queen of secretly giving birth."

A master of disguise.

This isn't the first time Kaling has kept her baby news under wraps. 

Back in 2017, Oprah Winfrey accidentally spilled the beans about the actor's first pregnancy, and in 2020, Kaling announced the birth of her second child during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

Clearly, she's a pro at hiding her pregnancies. Kaling's secret? A blend of strategic wardrobe choices, selective social media posts, and a tight-lipped inner circle, it seems.

Let's rewind. In June last year, Kaling posted photos from her swimsuit campaign with Andie Swim, flaunting her fabulous self in a yellow one-piece. By September, she dazzled in tight leather outfits at fashion shows, seamlessly hiding any signs of pregnancy, before settling into fashionable (and seasonally appropriate!) oversized sweaters come November.

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A post shared by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling)

In early February, mere weeks before Anne's birth, Kaling shared snapshots of a Zoom call for her new TV series Running Point, showing her comfortably nestled in bed.

"Never has anyone been more sedentary writing a show about the fast-paced and sexy world of basketball!" she joked. Little did we know she was hiding a little secret under those covers.

The never-ending question.

Despite all of her accomplishments, one question keeps following the star: "Who is the father of Mindy Kaling's children?"

The public's obsession with this topic is relentless. 

Kaling has never publicly revealed the identity of her children's father, or even if they have a father figure in their lives. Rather, she refers to them as donors, a term often used by women who choose to have children on their own.

In a 2022 interview with Marie Claire, Kaling explained her decision to keep the details of her family out of the spotlight. 

"I want [the children] to be old enough to talk to me about it and [tell me] how they want me to talk about it," she said. "I'm the only parent my kids have… I think I err on the side of super cautious so that there are less things that they can potentially be mad at me about down the line."

The BJ Novak rumours.

The speculation around the identity of her children's father often centres on Kaling's former flame, best friend and The Office co-star, BJ Novak.

From 2004 to 2007, Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak were in a relationship. The two have since maintained a famously close relationship, with Novak even named as the godfather to Kaling's eldest two children.

For years it's been rumoured that Kaling and Novak have continued their relationship away from the public eye.

Image: Getty.

"It doesn't bother me," she told Marie Claire, reflecting on the rumours. "He's the godparent to both my kids — and they have such a great relationship — and so far [the rumours haven't] affected my happiness at all, it hasn't affected my kids or BJ.

"If that's what is going to be titillating to people, I'll take it."

The single mum juggle.

In a February interview with WSJ Magazine, Kaling opened up about the joys and challenges of being a single mum. 

"It's really rewarding, being a mum and spending time with these two people who look like me," she shared. "I love them, and they're so funny. In terms of my career, I'm a single mom, I'm the breadwinner in the house."

She continued, "So there’s a lot of panic that comes with that, the buck stops with me, I have to earn money for them. Having kids is everything — wanting to be a good role model and wanting to produce content that doesn't embarrass them and makes them proud is another layer to my life and a complication that I welcome."

Feature image: Instagram/mindykaling.