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Rise to Fame
Ryan Howard spent eight seasons as The Office's expendable temp. B.J. Novak spent those same eight seasons as one of its five original writers, in the room with Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling from day one. The Harvard Lampoon background set him up for that kind of access. By 2013, he'd walked away with two SAG Awards, a WGA Award, and a reputation that outlasted his character's arc.
In the Spotlight
The Book with No Pictures is a children's book consisting only of text that forces whoever reads it aloud to say embarrassing things. It hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. That's Novak's move: the absurd pitch that turns out to be exactly right. His 2022 directorial debut Vengeance earned real critical respect. None of it has detached him from the tabloid cycle around his undefined years-long situation with Mindy Kaling, which may be the most durable thing about his public image.
Side Notes
The godfather to Mindy Kaling's three kids is also her former Office co-writer, ex-boyfriend, and reportedly the subject of a $7.5 million book offer from Penguin Random House about their whole situation. Kaling called it 'romantically charged camaraderie with loud arguments.' He was at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony in February 2025. They've been not-defining this for over 20 years. Neither seems interested in changing that.