In 2015, it was revealed that Mindy Kaling’s brother, Vijay Chokal-Ingam, faked being Black in order to get into med school. On his website, he boasted about concocting the offensive plan, which formed the basis for his book, “Almost Black.” “I wasn’t a minority. So I became one,” he explained. “I shaved my head, trimmed my long Indian eyelashes, and applied as an African America n… Vijay, the Indian American frat boy, became Jojo, the African American med school applicant.”
In a statement to Us Magazine, Kaling said that she was unaware of her brother’s plan and remained estranged from him. But in an interview with Page Six, Vijay claimed that Kaling did indeed know about his scheme, and had a history of plotting against her family and friends. “My sister has engineered similar public and private plots against her many frenemies in Hollywood,” he alleged. “If Mindy thinks twice about stabbing someone else in the back because of what I’ve written, then I’m doing her a big favor.”
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Since the controversy, Vijay has expressed numerous problematic views, including denouncing affirmative action as “reverse racism” and an avowed support for Donald Trump, resulting in some criticizing Kaling for her brother’s behavior. But it should be noted that women aren’t responsible for the questionable actions of the men in their lives. Just because her brother has spewed racist talking points it doesn’t mean Kaling, who supports Black Lives Matter, shares or condones them.
