Rainn Wilson says the humor of The Office wouldn’t survive today’s media climate, arguing its politically incorrect edge—and lack of character self-awareness—would likely face backlash. He reflected on the show’s run, its awards, and its continuing audience pu
Rainn Wilson doesn’t just think The Office is a product of its era—he thinks it couldn’t be made today.
In a June 14 interview with Fox News Digital, the actor said he feels the series would be “too hard to be as politically incorrect as the show was.” Wilson admitted he “kind of miss[es]” that willingness to push boundaries, even though he knows the modern audience can be unforgiving.
Steve Carell starred as Michael Scott, the unfiltered boss at the center of the chaos. The series ran from 2005 to 2013, based on a British version of the same name. It followed a group of office workers led by Michael Scott. and much of the comedy came from his tendency to misunderstand the world around him—then say the wrong thing at the worst possible moment.
Wilson framed the show’s humor around that lack of awareness. “The whole point of The Office is that Michael Scott is a b***. ” he said. adding that both Michael Scott and his own character. Dwight Schrute. often didn’t have “self-awareness.” He acknowledged that the audience was meant to see the characters as foolish. But even with that setup. Wilson said he doesn’t believe this style of comedy would “get away with it today.”.
“We milked that for a lot of great, really inappropriate stuff,” Wilson said. “But even with the fact that painting that character as just an idiot, I don’t think you could get away with it today.”
He pointed to Season 1’s “Diversity Day” as an example. In the episode, Michael creates his own version of a diversity seminar that “quickly goes off the rails.” The episode ends with Mindy Kaling’s Kelly Kapoor slapping him.
Wilson also made clear he’s not immersed in the comedy world day to day. He said he’s “just an actor,” and when he hears comedians complain about restrictions, he offered a simple directive: “Make them a little smarter.”
The numbers behind The Office’s impact don’t match the idea that the show was too risky to last. The series won five Emmys. Wilson was nominated three times, while Carell received six nominations.
And long after the original run ended, the audience kept coming back. Despite its politically incorrect humor, it became the most-streamed series during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing that the show’s bite still landed years after it left the air.
Its momentum continued well beyond the finale. More than a decade later, a spin-off titled The Paper debuted. The Paper arrived in October 2025 and, in its premiere week, it broke into the top 10 most-watched series.
The tension Wilson describes—between a comedy built to offend and a culture quicker to punish—collides with the reality that The Office kept thriving. Even if Wilson thinks it wouldn’t be made today. the show’s long afterlife suggests it wasn’t just a flash of controversy. It was a hit that stayed in rotation—and kept finding new viewers.
Rainn Wilson The Office Steve Carell Dwight Schrute Michael Scott political incorrectness June 14 interview Diversity Day Mindy Kaling Kelly Kapoor Emmys COVID-19 streaming The Paper spin-off October 2025