Kaling also appeared to pay homage to her late mother during the ceremony.
Mindy Kaling is still in disbelief with the honor of a lifetime, after President Joe Biden bestowed her with a National Medal of Art during a ceremony at the White House.
The 43-year-old actress and producer took to Instagram on Wednesday and shared photos of her time at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., where she and a slew of other celebrities -- like legendary singer Gladys Knight, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus and rock star Bruce Springsteen -- were honored for their artistic achievements.
Kaling said it was a while ago when the National Endowment of the Arts called her to inform her that the president wanted to honor her for her work in television and as an author. Kaling, of course, is known for her work on The Office, The Mindy Project, Champions, the Netflix hit Never Have I Ever and HBO's The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Kaling, dressed elegantly in a purple dress with matching heels, attended the ceremony with her 5-year-old daughter, Katherine, who donned a white ruffle dress with sparkly shoes. Kaling said that, as the president spoke about her achievements, she couldn't help but think about her parents, especially her late mother, Swati Chokalingam, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2012. As the president placed the medal around her neck, Kaling pointed to the sky in an apparent tribute to her late mother.
"To hear the President speak about my parents, their journey to the United States, my late mother’s dreams for me, and the power of comedy to make people understand each other was almost too much to take in," she shared in her thoughtful caption. "It didn’t feel real! I mean, I was sitting next to GLADYS KNIGHT."
Kaling vowed to "spend the rest of my life earning this medal because I don't feel like I've earned it yet." She also said she wished her mom could have been there, "but what are you gonna do. Nothing is perfect, but yesterday was pretty close."
The hilarious actress took advantage of her trip to the White House, posing next to former President Barack Obama's official portrait, as well as Michelle Obama's. She also posed for photos with the VEEP star, the "Midnight Train to Georgia" singer and the "Born in the USA" rock star.
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