Mar 27, 2025 04:46 PM IST
Rashida Jones’ time on The Office was brief, and according to her, not particularly pleasant.
American actor Rashida Jones was part of the popular American sitcom The Office for a brief period, and it may not have been the most enjoyable experience for her. During Tuesday’s episode of the Good Hang podcast, the 49-year-old actor reflected on her short-lived role as Karen Filippelli, an employee at the rival Dunder Mifflin Stamford branch and a romantic competitor to Jenna Fischer’s Pam for the attention of John Krasinski’s Jim.
“I had done a year on The Office and they let me go, which made sense. It made sense,” Jones told host Amy Poehler. Amy, who later starred alongside Jones in Parks and Recreation for seven years, attempted to reassure her. “You had such a tough job there, because everybody wanted Jim and Pam, and then guess who shows up? A very likable, cool… and everyone was like, ‘Oh no, wait.'”
Rashida, however, was quick to push back against this sentiment. “It did not feel that way,” she responded. “People did not like me. Like, fans were not about it.”
Karen was first introduced in the opening episode of the show’s third season when Jim transferred from Scranton to Stamford. Looking to adjust to his new workplace, he was pleasantly surprised when Karen jokingly teased him about his tendency to look directly at the camera. Their connection grew into a relationship that had the potential to last—until Jim abruptly broke up with Karen in the season finale.
Now, Rashida acknowledges the purpose her character served within the larger narrative. “I understand now that my role was to create tension for the relationship. So I was the third point in the triangle. It’s fine. I accept it,” she explained.
Although her primary run on the series ended after season three, Rashida returned as Karen for two episodes in the fourth season, one episode in the fifth, and made a final cameo in the season seven episode titled Threat Level Midnight.
