Are Mindy & Ike Dating?

There is absolutely nothing to dislike about Mindy Kaling, really. She's independent, hilarious, successful, beautiful, extremely talented — I could keep going on and on. It's incredibly refreshing to see a female writer who is so open and real about the struggles she deals with while working in television, not only being a woman, but a woman of color at that. Being the big fan of hers that I am, I am always a little interested in her dating situation because, well, I honestly feel that we are a lot alike in being totally awkward and currently, very single. I was scrolling through her Instagram and noticed her Mindy Project co-star Ike Barinholtz making quite a few cameos on her social media so naturally this lead to the question: Are Mindy Kaling and Ike Barinholtz dating?

I know, I know, it's only social media, but sometimes a picture isn't only a picture. Granted, Kaling has already gone on the record about her relationship with ex-boyfriend B.J. Novak and how they are still the best of friends, so it's obvious that Kaling definitely has a great rapport with her man-friends, co-workers and ex-boyfriends, which is totally cool. But I decided to take a look into the history of her and Barinholtz and see if there was any love brewing beyond the set and writing room.

So how did Barinholtz end up on The Mindy Project, anyway? Well, his and Kaling's friendship began on social media! Kaling had posted a tweet about Barinholtz's hilarious character on Eastbound and Down, he replied to her, and the social media relationship began. They met IRL with his writing partner, Dave Stassen, when Kaling's show had just been picked up. Being a fan, Kaling hired them as story editors and ended up writing a part for Barinholtz. He told Yahoo!'s Ben Lyons in an interview, "We actually talk in person now. I'm waiting for the day for our relationship to sour, and we go back to only talking on Twitter, and then not at all."

Well, things haven't gone sour since he got the role as beloved and kooky nurse, Morgan Tookers. Personally, after seeing their great chemistry and their photos together, I would totally root for them as a couple because I love two funny, talented people together.

But, after some research, my bubble was definitely bursted. Barinholtz is happily married to producer Erica Hanson and they welcomed their first child together in 2013!

Ah, well. I'm totally happy for Barinholtz, of course, and Kaling seems to be just fine being a single woman, anyway. In January, she covered Good Housekeeping and shared, "I don't need marriage. I don't need anyone to take care of all my needs and desires. I can take care of them myself now." PREACH, Mindy. She also had some pretty inspiring words about self-love during her recent Q&A session with BuzzFeed. A fan asked her if she freaks out about being single, and she answered,

It’s funny, I used to freak out about being single much more in my twenties. I’ve noticed that the more professional success I have, or the more happy I am professionally, the less I worry about that because I have a great deal of professional confidence.

So, boyfriend or not, Mindy Kaling will be great.

Images: Getty Images; bubblybunny9 /Tumblr