Mindy Kaling: Backlash over my casting as Scooby-Doo's Velma only came when it was revealed the character would be South Asian

E! Online

"When it was announced that I was going to do the voice of Velma, people were very supportive and happy on Twitter," Kaling explained on Late Night with Seth Meyers. "And so, I felt great because these are really intense fans, you know—cartoon, comic book fans, those are huge fans. And especially (for) a legacy show like this." But the backlash didn't come, she notes, until later on when HBO Max revealed the new Velma would match her background. "Then it was announced about a month ago that the Velma character would be reimagined as South Asian," Kaling explained. "And people were not happy." Kaling added: "She's such a great character, she's so smart. And I just couldn't understand how people couldn't imagine a really smart, nerdy girl with terrible eyesight and loved to solve mysteries could not be Indian. Like, there are Indian nerds. It shouldn't be a surprise to people."