Rashida Jones’ time on The Office It was brief, and the actress looks back at what led to her character’s quick departure.
In the most recent episode of Amy Poehler’s podcast Good Hang , Jones recounted her short time on the NBC sitcom and speculated on why she believes she was eventually let go.
"I completed one year on The Office And they allowed me to leave, which was logical," Jones stated. "It made sense."
Jones portrayed Karen Filippelli, a character first introduced during Season 3. She worked at Dunder Mifflin’s Stamford branch and emerged as both a romantic interest for John Krasinski’s Jim and a competitor to Jenna Fischer’s Pam.
Poehler commented on the challenging circumstances Jones faced, stating, "Your role was so difficult because everyone was eager for more of Jim and Pam, but then along comes this incredibly likeable and cool person... and suddenly everyone thought, 'Wait, what?'"
Jones stated, "That wasn't how it felt at all. The people didn't enjoy my presence. Essentially, the fans weren't supportive."
When reflecting on the creation of the character, Jones mentions that she realizes Karen Filippelli was brought in to "generate conflict" within Jim and Pam’s relationship.
"So I was the third person in the trio. That's okay. I'm comfortable with it," she remarked.
Jones went on to revisit her Karen character in two Season 4 episodes and one Episode from Season 5. Her final appearance was in an episode during Season 7.
After her short time on The Office , Jones continued to co-star alongside Poehler in Parks and Recreation .
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