B.J. Novak shared a “heartbreaking” moment with Mindy Kaling’s daughter at a recent birthday party.
The actress broke down the interaction on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Wednesday, noting that her former “Office” co-star — and ex-boyfriend — was present to ring in baby girl Anne’s first year.
When Kaling, 45, dressed in an Elmo costume for the occasion, her eldest daughter, Katherine, saw right through the ruse in a “chilling moment.”
The 7-year-old asked Novak, “Wait, is Mom Elmo?”
The actor, also 45, felt like he should be “up front” with the first grader and replied, “Yeah. Yeah, kid. She’s Elmo.”
Kaling said, “It was a little heartbreaking for her, I think.”
The comedian, who is also the mother of son Spencer, 4, referred to Novak as an “important and integral” part of her family last week.
“Sometimes I forget that the reason that I know him is because we worked together professionally,” she gushed at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Feb. 18.
Novak spoke at the event, gushing over his longtime friend’s “compassionate” parenting skills as an “incredible mother.”
Novak is the godfather of the “Mindy Project” alum’s children.
The duo dated on and off from 2004 to 2007.
Kaling became a mom when daughter Katherine arrived in 2017, followed by son Spencer and daughter Anne in 2020 and 2024, respectively.
She has yet to share the paternity of her little ones — and told Marie Claire in 2022 that “titillating” speculation about Novak being the father of her kids does not “bother” her.
Kaling explained to the New York Times in 2019 that she won’t confirm or deny the rumors publicly as long as her brood is in the dark.
“My feeling is that until I speak to my daughter about that, I’m not going to talk to anyone else about it,” she said at the time.