Mindy Kaling: "We Are Not Just Women in Hollywood. We Are Hollywood."

Thank you, again, Reese. Reese Witherspoon. You know, I read a very sobering statistic this week: That every 15 seconds, somewhere in America, Reese Witherspoon finishes reading a novel. And not just any novel; a perceptive, epic, original novel that sheds insight on our times. Damn, you Reese! I can’t get through Shouts & Murmurs without checking my phone.

Who here, show of hands, follows Reese on Instagram? Okay so you know that shit is crazy. What the hell? This woman has three perfect kids, a hot husband, and like nine French bulldogs. She has a fashion line and a book club; also, she’s a movie star. Reese, I love you, but I also, I kind of hate you. I don’t know how you do it all. You’re such an inspiration to everyone in the room, and you’ve given me so many opportunities, but also, like, goddamn it.

I wanted to start out tonight by thank Nina Garcia and ELLE. It is truly an honor to be one of this year’s Women in Hollywood. The other amazing women you’ve chosen reflect your desire to showcase diverse talent, so I’m so proud to be included. And this might sound obvious, but thank you for letting me look pretty on the cover? Sometimes, when your professional success comes from comedy, magazine people think that you wanna look like a deranged goofball in photos, so thanks for not photographing me with a rubber chicken or something like a banana peel, because I’ve done both of those things.

And I wanna acknowledge how lucky I am. Like some of us here, I am a single mom, and I don’t know if I recommend it—no, no, I recommend it, it’s great—so the only way I am able to have a career or be here tonight or hell, even go to the bathroom in privacy in my own house, is because I have a nanny. So shout out to the nannies tonight.

My daughter is almost two years old, and she is so smart and so adorable, so I say this with love, but it is like living with the Joker. I'm not gonna get into it with the face paint. I cannot keep up with my daughter's moods, so I am lucky to have the resources that so many American women do not, and for that I am very grateful. I am grateful for the people in my life who are helping me raise her, my dad, my stepmom, and my friends who are at my table tonight. And also to Batman, who will eventually have to deal with her, so thank you.

The past few years have gifted us with shows that are redefining the TV landscape, shows like Insecure, Fleabag. Shows like Queen Sugar, Killing Eve, Pen15, One Day at a Time, Chewing Gum, and so many others. It is a testament to our resilience that women, especially women of color, can knock it out of the park if we are just given the shot. But, as women of color, we need to acknowledge that we face a disproportionate amount of screening.

Why is it the sole responsibility of people of color to hire people of color? No one wants to start telling white male directors in Hollywood how they diversify their cast and crew. They are free to churn out movie after lily-white movie until the end of time, simply because Ava Duvernay exists. She gets tired, guys! You know, not very often, but she does get tired. And while women are being given chances to prove themselves in our industry, it's not happening quite as fast as we want it to be. Despite our efforts, it is still mostly men who are handed large franchises to direct. It is men who are allowed to fail, safe in knowing that they will bounce back with, at the very least, a lucrative podcast. By the way, in the time it's taken me to give this speech, Reese has already finished reading a young-adult series and has an option with HBO. She's already made $10 million dollars.

Well the answer seems to be that we take our sense of injustice and we take our sense of not belonging and we use it as fuel. In the immortal words of the prophet, Rihanna, "You work. Work, work, work." We make our own opportunities, and when we are able, we make opportunities for others. We don't wait for others to decide that we are good enough. If I was still waiting for other people to decide that I was good enough, I would be teaching an improv class in North Hollywood. We are good enough right now. There may be gatekeepers, but guess what? We are gate crashers, okay? Power belongs to those who reach out and take it, and it's our time to take it. And if you can bring other people along the way and other women, even better. Because we're not just women in Hollywood, we are Hollywood. We make Hollywood work. Work, work, work, work. Thank you so much for this honor.