For years, many of us have complained about Mindy Kaling and BJ Novak’s relationship and how dysfunctional their relationship looks to all of us out here in the cheap seats. Novak is very involved with Mindy’s three kids, and we’ve been told repeatedly that he’s the godfather to those kids. I’m increasingly convinced that he’s the father as well as the godfather, but the point is that Mindy has spent years (if not decades) letting BJ take up too much emotional space in her life. It hasn’t helped that BJ really hasn’t been closely associated with another woman in many years, although I’m sure he’s dated plenty of women. Well, now it’s official – BJ Novak is dating someone else. Delaney Rowe, a 28-year-old influencer type who “acts” in her own little skits for Instagram and TikTok.
B.J. Novak and Delaney Rowe are dating, sources tell PEOPLE.
Romance rumors started to swirl in December 2024 when The Office actor, 45, and the TikTok star, 28, were spotted out together at the Bowery Hotel in New York City, sparking speculation about their relationship status, per Deuxmoi.
Social media users continued to speculate about their relationship in April, with one user on X sharing that she learned of their romance from TikTok.
Novak and Rowe were previously photographed together at The Official How Long Gone After Party at The Standard in New York City on Nov. 23 last year.
Reps for both Novak and Rowe didn’t immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
People Mag confirmed that they’ve been seeing each other for months, and People also ran a “who is Delaney Rowe” piece which explained why so many younger people are sort of invested in this relationship. She’s TikTok famous and IG-famous, I guess. I actually went to her IG to watch some of her skits and she’s incredibly annoying. But whatever, I could totally see how a 45-year-old in a longterm/toxic situationship would see this woman and think that she was cool or inspired or whatever. Also: that’s her real name! I thought it was a stage name, but no, her parents named her like their child is a fashion line.
mindy and bj novak are deadass carrie and big but worse
— . (@saturninterlude) April 28, 2025
mindy kaling watching bj novak date a twenty something girl with a personality she constantly writes her female characters to have and uses to self project pic.twitter.com/bqKK0zyS1M
— helena (@wannabespiced) April 28, 2025
Mindy come get your man!!! https://t.co/84aSskHBDQ pic.twitter.com/VICXIgIXd5
— hannah (@dumbandfunn) April 28, 2025
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- UNIVERSAL CITY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JUNE 11: American actress Delaney Marie Rowe arrives at the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) 2022 Summer Block Party held at Universal Studios Backlot on June 11, 2022 in Universal City, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 699051841, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Delaney Marie Rowe, Credit line: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: (L-R) B. J. Novak and Mindy Kaling attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.,Image: 763123450, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: B. J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
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- LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 30: Delaney Rowe attends the season 12 premiere of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” at Directors Guild Of America on January 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.,Image: 842232784, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Delaney Rowe, Credit line: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon
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- Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 Premiere at the Directors Guild of America on January 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA,Image: 904690439, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Delaney Rowe, Credit line: Nicky Nelson/Wenn/Avalon
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- The Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey Activation at ChainFEST in Los Angeles, California. Featuring: B.J Novak Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 05 Oct 2024 Credit: BauerGriffin/INSTARimages
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- Tribeca Screening Of Ketchup Entertainment’s ‘Goodrich’ In New York At LOOK Dine-In Cinema Featuring: B. J. Novak, Hallie Myers-Shyer (Director, Writer) and Kate Berry Where: New York, New York, United States When: 14 Oct 2024 Credit: Marion Curtis/Starpix for Ketchup Entertainment/INSTARimages
She seems to style herself as Temu Bridget Moynahan. Mandy has been soft teasing there’s more to her association with JB other than just friendship. I hope whatever bond they share keeps on in a non toxic way, seems it’s apparently worked out for both of them and Mandy’s kids.
I love that people with more sense than me, have declined to comment in this post
Yeah, I tend to think Mindy’s children are also his.
There are things about Mindy that I don’t think are troubling — but I just think it’s overdue that Mindy free herself from that man. He has a hold on her and it is not healthy.
Delaney has that false “I’m hot but I’m a goofball” vibe and it’s too try hard.
She’s no Caroline Klidonas (who does similar style skits but with a wildly different, more charming vibe) but I don’t mind her schtick.
I don’t think I could like a guy enough to put up with whatever un-self-aware toxic triangle is happening with him and Mindy. Good luck to her.
I’ve always hoped their friendship is less toxic than it appears, and they just play up the ambiguity for the sake of pop culture relevance.
I’ve developed sibling-like bonds with former exes, in which neither of us have ANY desire to rekindle anything, and it’s clear we’re better as friends… that said, those bonds no longer exist because we understood it was unsettling for our romantic partners. I wonder if their dynamic will change, now that he’s publicly dating someone else.
Last time there was a post about BJ and Mindy there was a lot of folks scolding others about
how non-traditional relationships often work out just fine. And I don’t disagree with that, but I’m just not convinced that’s what Mindy and BJ ever had. It never felt even and reciprocal to me but rather unrequited and co-dependent. I’m glad he’s moved on and I hope Mindy has as well. Best thing she can do for their relationship is to truly get over him.
I actually have loved this TikTok-er, her skits are really funny when you follow her whole schtick for a while, but I noticed about 6 months ago that she’d gotten… uncomfortably thin. That’s a trigger for me personally so I stopped tracking her but this is super interesting
Exactly this! I enjoyed Delaney’s content for years, but in the last six or so months she has gotten painfully thin (to my recovering ED eye), so I had to unfollow. Wishing all these grown-ups the best in whatever comes next. BJ and Mindy have always seemed a mess, so hopefully the kids at least are ok in all this?
I’ve liked a few of her videos too but they get very repetitive!
In Delaney’s defense, her skits are *supposed* to be grating and unnerving and annoying, because she’s making fun of misogynist two-dimensional film tropes.
That said… she accomplishes her goal SO well that I can’t watch her anymore. There are always tons of comments like “I forgot this was a parody and started to hate you for a second” and I’ve always wondered how much the lines actually blur. Maybe she’s just an excellent actor, or maybe she’s obnoxious IRL. I’m actually curious if he’s going to cast her in one of his projects (or maybe that’s how they met in the first place), because she really does have striking features and a wild mimicry ability.
Just like with the Channing post earlier I am seriously creeped out by anyone who dates someone that young. The difference between the two is I used to think Channing wasn’t gross. I’ve thought BJ was sketchy and gross for a long time, so this is just more confirmation.
He’s a deeply creepy guy who groomed one girl I know starting when she was about 16, and hit on other girls in her friend group at the same time. He likes them young and is very good at that thing creepy dudes do where they make young girls feel he likes them for their minds and their personalities. That they’re “special”.
I thought he was a decent funny-man until I saw him on Celebrity Jeopardy! On that show, the celebrities are typically gracious in failure but he acted as if he were being brutalized whenever somebody else got the answer correctly. In the end he refused to shake hands with the other celebrities or to congratulate the winner.
And believe me, Celebrity Jeopardy is not meant to tax the brain with anything but grade-school knowledge.
He’s got to be a narcissistic rotter.
If someone said she was lying about her age I would believe them.
Novak has had other girlfriends. I don’t know if he is using Mindy as a social escort or what but he never inconvenienced himself for her. While she is always drumming him up.
From the people I know who are acquainted with her, she is maybe shaving off 1-3 years, at most. If she is using her relationship with BJ to increase her profile in Hollywood, I can understand how 28 seems more palatable to ageist producers and casting directors than say 30 or 31, even though it isn’t a big gap in real life.
For every middle-aged guy who dates a much younger woman, there’s some much younger woman willing to date him. I don’t get it.
It’s not just the man who deserves cringe.
All I know is that I wish good things for Mindy.