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Actor and writer Mindy Kaling has drawn applause for comments praising the way actor Anne Hathaway handled disgraced former NBC journalist Matt Lauer's inappropriate comments during a 2012 interview.
Kaling made the comments at ELLE magazine's annual Women in Hollywood Celebration, at which Hathaway was being honored with an award Kaling was presenting.
At the dais, Kaling described Hathaway's dispatching of Lauer as the moment she "fell in love" with the Oscar-winning actor.
\u201cMindy Kaling spoke Monday about a moment of resilience that cemented her love for fellow actor Anne Hathaway.\nhttps://t.co/dEJ6rcSVoe\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1666215354
The incident occurred during a 2012 interview around the release of the film adaptation of Les Misérables, for which Hathaway won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2013.
Kaling told the crowd:
“From the age of 18 years old [Hathaway] has been objectified regularly, and despite loving her as a performer I’ll tell you when I fell in love with her."
Kaling then recounted how Lauer had suggestively and accusatorily questioned Hathaway about an up-the-skirt photograph a paparazzo had taken of Hathaway at the film's premiere as she was exiting a car.
“On the Today show the next morning, Matt Lauer said to her in this chastising, someone-has-been-naughty way, ‘Anne Hathaway I’ve seen a lot of you lately'."
Kaling then quipped of Lauer:
“First of all, gross. Are you like a lame uncle at Thanksgiving?”
Kaling then explained how Lauer asked Hathaway if she learned any lessons from the experience, as if it were her fault.
And as Kaling explained, Hathaway had the perfect response:
“Annie simply responded, ‘It kind of made me sad on two accounts'."
"'One that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of someone in a vulnerable moment and rather than delete it and do the decent thing, sells it'."
"'And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants'."
Lauer would go on to be fired from NBC in 2017 amid accusations of sexual harassment and assault.
On Twitter, people loved what Kaling had to say about the situation.
\u201cI'v not forgotten Anne Hathaway owning Matt Lauer in this interview.\u201d— Thirst Kanaphan (Acceptance Era) (@Thirst Kanaphan (Acceptance Era)) 1666198279
\u201cMatt Lauer harassed women for years & TV execs enabled it. https://t.co/MGuGEo5fsd\u201d— Nancy Erika Smith (@Nancy Erika Smith) 1666221652
\u201c@HuffPost Love these ladies!!!!!\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1666216009
\u201cI love this. https://t.co/v1hXYDKffT\u201d— (((Alexis))) (@(((Alexis)))) 1666275265
\u201c@people FCK THE PATRIARCHY!!\u201d— People (@People) 1666118168
Many others were also thrilled to see Hathaway looking so glamorous and happy at the ELLE Women In Hollywood event, where she spoke about the so-called "Hathahate" backlash she suffered around the time of her Oscar win.
\u201cAww two queens! Anne Hathaway and Issa Rae sharing a moment at the ELLE Women in Hollywood event last night \ud83d\udc95\nhttps://t.co/JRACIBZ0O8\u201d— MEFeater Magazine (@MEFeater Magazine) 1666208194
\u201c@DionneGrant @people I\u2019m enjoying the comeback of Anne Hathaway bc there was a moment where like 60% of people didn\u2019t like her but couldn\u2019t explain why.\u201d— Dionne Grant (@Dionne Grant) 1666089954
\u201cIt was never cool to hate Anne Hathaway\u201d— Haus Labs Auditor (@Haus Labs Auditor) 1666110835
\u201cI knew millennials were dumb when they said they hated Anne Hathaway like how tf do u hate her\u201d— Next Level Nimene: Award winner Era \ud83c\udfc6 (@Next Level Nimene: Award winner Era \ud83c\udfc6) 1666127812
\u201cRead Anne Hathaway's Women in Hollywood speech, and it reminded me that she took all the dogging people gave her for Les Miserables (for years) and turned it into her Colossal performance. \n\nLong live the Queen of Genovia. https://t.co/aztUa8U5bR\u201d— Bennett D. Bennett \u2660\ufe0f (@Bennett D. Bennett \u2660\ufe0f) 1666267676
Hathaway certainly hasn't let any of this negativity stop her. Her next film, Armageddon Time, comes out next week, and she has six others in production.