Mindy Kaling Calls 'Never Have I Ever' Her Career 'Highlight,' but Still Felt She Had to Skip Final Premiere

Mindy Kaling announced she would be missing the season 4 premiere of ‘Never Have I Ever’ in support of the Writer Guild of America strike

In the spirit of solidarity, Mindy Kaling is skipping out on the final season premiere of Never Have I Ever.

The 43-year-old show creator took to Instagram to pay tribute to the teen dramedy series and its four-season run on Netflix ahead of its Thursday red carpet event.

Though she sent her love to the cast, The Office alum announced she and co-creator Lang Fisher were planning on missing out on the festivities in support of the ongoing Writer’s Guild of America union strike.

“Tonight is the premiere of season four – the final season! – of 'Never Have I Ever,'" Kaling captioned a photo of the cast. "Lang and I aren’t going to be at the premiere (#wgastrong!) so it was really important that I tell our cast and crew how much I love them, and how sad I am not to be joining them.”

Shouting out her cast members by name, the six-time Emmy winner shared how Never Have I Ever was inspired by her and Fisher's own experiences of being “headstrong nerds” in high school.

“The outpouring of love for the show has been the highlight of my career,” she gushed. “It’s so meaningful when someone comes up to me at the airport or CVS or wherever and tells me that they watch the show and feel seen.”

Noting her privilege of loving “what I get to do” and acknowledging how “lucky I am to be able to work in Hollywood at all,” Kaling shared her hopes of the strike ending soon.

“It sucks to miss all these fun and meaningful milestones, but it’s a great example of what we are willing to sacrifice to be treated fairly,” the Velma actress continued.

Related: Mindy Kaling Says Each Character on 'Never Have I Ever' Represents a 'Different Part of My Personality'

“I love you, my 'Never Have I Ever' cast and crew. Send me tons of texts and pics from the premiere. And to the fans around the world – enjoy the new season. We could only make this show because of you! Lang and I are so grateful to everyone who watched the show!” she concluded. “'Never Have I Ever'… loved a creative experience more than this. ❤️”

Back in March 2022, Netflix officially announced the series would be concluding with its fourth season.

"We've just been renewed for a fourth and final season, which we are absolutely thrilled about," Kaling and Fisher said in a statement at the time. "We can't wait to reveal all the steamy romance and hilarious adventures we have in store for you. Thanks to all our fans for your support – especially you #Bevi and #Daxton stans. We love you!"

Related: 'Never Have I Ever' Season 4: Paxton and Ben Are Still in the Picture as Devi Meets Another 'New Heartthrob'

Although it's hard for the mom of two to say goodbye, she told Entertainment Tonight in an April interview,  "Four seasons for a high school show felt like it made sense.”

“They can't be in high school forever. We've seen those shows. Like, you've been in high school for 12 years. What is going on here?” she added. "Also, the actors get older and it starts looking insane that a 34-year-old is playing a 15-year-old.”

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Season 4 of Never Have I Ever premieres Thursday, June 8 on Netflix.

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