Mindy Kaling Tells Ben Affleck to "Hang In There" on Stage at the DNC Amid Jennifer Lopez Divorce

She was paying tribute to her home state of Massachusetts.

Actress Mindy Kaling speaks during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Mindy Kaling spoke on stage on night three of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and she slipped in a little quip about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez' divorce.

Addressing the delegation of Massachusetts, where she's from, the actress said, "I love you, Massachusetts! Everyone is always hating on us. But they just don’t get it. Go Sox! … Ben Affleck, hang in there! Dunkin Donuts, you’re the best coffee in the world" (via Us Weekly).

For context, Kaling was born in Cambridge, MA, and Affleck grew up there.

Actress Mindy Kaling takes part in stage testing ahead of the start of the third day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center on August 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.

Mindy Kaling goes through stage testing ahead of the DNC in a "We're Gonna Win" sweatshirt.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

While speaking at the DNC, the Office alum had high praise for presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as she recalled one of the first times she met the politician, as part of a cooking video on Instagram.

"We immediately hit it off. We talked about the love that we have for our moms, who had both passed away from cancer," she recalled (via NPR). "Both of our mothers were immigrants from India who came to America and committed their lives to serving others."

As for the Affleck joke, if you somehow didn't get it because you were out of cell service for the past 24 hours or something, it was a reference to Jennifer Lopez filing for divorce from him—the day before Kaling made her speech.

The "Jenny From the Block" singer and Gone Girl actor were married for two years, and officially separated in April, according to Lopez' court filing. Divorce rumors began coming out in mid-May, but neither party has publicly addressed the split. Of course, the divorce papers are official confirmation that their romance is sadly over.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in NYC on October 10, 2021.

Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on Aug. 20.

(Image credit: Getty Images/Gotham/GC Images)
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Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.