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Mindy Kaling on bribing baby daughter: 'She's like in the mob'

By Annie Martin

June 3 (UPI) -- Mindy Kaling says she finds herself bribing her daughter like the baby is in the mob.

The 39-year-old actress jokingly compared Katherine, her 17-month-old daughter, to The Sopranos mobster Tony Soprano during Monday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

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"She's a year-and-a-half and I didn't know how much bribery there was in being a parent. Like, every time I see her, it's like Tony Soprano. I go up to her and I'm like, 'Hey. You have to give me the remote control.' She's like, 'Give me your car keys,'" Kaling told host Ellen DeGeneres.

"She's like in the mob," she said. "She's smart, and she can barely talk. So that's my life right now."

Kaling gave birth to Katherine in December 2017. She discussed motherhood and her initial fears about being a single mother during her Dartmouth College commencement speech in June 2018.

"I remember bringing her home and being in my house with her for the first time and thinking, 'Huh. According to movies and TV, this is traditionally the time when my mother and spouse are supposed to be here, sharing this experience with me.' And I looked around, and I had neither. And for a moment, it was kind of scary," the star said.

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"But then, that feeling went away, because the reality is, I'm not doing it by myself," she said. "I'm surrounded by family and friends who love and support me. And the joy I feel from being with my daughter, Katherine, eclipses anything from any crazy checklist."

Kaling will next star in the movie Late Night, which she also wrote and produced. The film follows a late-night talk host (Emma Thompson) who hires her first and only female writer (Kaling).

"She's amazing," Kaling said of Thompson. "She's hilarious. She never gets to do funny parts and she just turned 60. I was just excited to see her in this kind of role."

Late Night co-stars Max Casella, Hugh Dancy and John Lithgow. The movie debuts June 7 in theaters and on Amazon Prime.

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