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Mindy Kaling Reveals the Celeb Mom Who Gave Her the Best Parenting Advice

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Mindy Kaling can always count on Reese Witherspoon to share some words of motherly wisdom.

While recently chatting with PEOPLE about her new partnership with Epic — a digital reading platform for kids — the 42-year-old star also opened up about how her close friend Witherspoon, 45, has offered both parental and professional advice to her as a fellow working mom.

Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon attend The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 Women in Entertainment at Milk Studios on December 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California.
Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon attend The Hollywood Reporter's Power 100 Women in Entertainment at Milk Studios on December 11, 2019 in Hollywood, California.

"Reese Witherspoon is always such a great source of parenting advice because she is so playful and fun and incredibly busy," Kaling tells PEOPLE exclusively. "She has three kids, but also this really full-time career. She acts, she runs this company, she's a producer and everything too."

"She's a person who always gives me great advice," continues Kaling, "and I think she's the one that has taught me the importance of making time for myself so that I could be a good parent for my kids."

"The other thing about Reese is that she's just incredibly smart about investing — that's something that people might not know, but she loves to invest. And she's really smart about it," Kaling adds. "That's not strictly parenting advice, but I think she's doing it because she wants to provide for her children and make sure their futures are secure. ... She's just so good at that kind of thing."

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Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon pose during the Hulu '19 Presentation at Hulu Theater at MSG on May 01, 2019 in New York City.
Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon pose during the Hulu '19 Presentation at Hulu Theater at MSG on May 01, 2019 in New York City.

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Kaling and Witherspoon have been friends, as well as collaborators, for many years. Back in 2017, Witherspoon made a cameo on Kaling's The Mindy Project, before the duo appeared onscreen together in A Wrinkle in Time a year later.

More recently, Kaling had a recurring guest role on Witherspoon's Apple TV+ series, The Morning Show — which premieres its second season Friday — and is currently serving as a screenwriter on the forthcoming Legally Blonde 3.

"We talk all the time," Witherspoon told Entertainment Weekly while discussing her collaboration with Kaling on The Morning Show. "My producing partner had worked on The Mindy Project and we're both really close with Mindy, and I did A Wrinkle in Time with Mindy, and then the part was just perfect for her."

"We were like, 'Would you really do this?' And she was like, 'Yeah, that sounds like so much fun!' So she came and played and gave us some of the greatest one-liners," added Witherspoon.

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In November, Kaling spoke with Popsugar about how Witherspoon has been a big supporter of hers as a mother.

Kaling told the outlet that the Wild star gifted her then-new baby boy Spencer Avu with a "thoughtful" assortment of items — and a little something for his big sister Katherine Swati as well.

"I felt like the minute I got back from the hospital, there was a gorgeous gift for Spencer, with beautiful clothes and toys," Kaling said. "And this is why you know a gift is from Reese Witherspoon — she also got my older kid something. My daughter, who didn't do anything, got all these beautiful clothes and toys, too."

"And she sent us food, so we didn't have to cook for four days," continued The Office alum. "So, that's to me just a very Reese Witherspoon-type present where it's thoughtful but in a very macro way. Like, she really knows what's going on in your life. That was impressive to me."

Witherspoon is mom to daughter Ava, 22, and son Deacon, 17 — whom she shares with ex-husband, Ryan Phillippe — as well as son Tennessee James, 8, whom she shares with husband Jim Toth.