‘The Office’ turns 20! See the stars of the hit NBC sitcom, then and now

Steve Carell (Michael Scott)

Steve Carell had made inroads as a comedy supporting player on The Daily Show and in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), but his role as Michael Scott — a well-meaning but bumbling and ignorant regional manager — shot him to superstardom. Though Carell earned six Emmy nominations for his performance as the boss who wants his employees to be afraid of how much they love him, he’s revealed he won’t be involved in the upcoming spinoff.

“I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It’s just a new thing and there’s really no reason for my character to show up in something like that,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in May 2024. “But I’m excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit. I love the idea.”

Following his debut as Michael, Carell went on to star in films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Get Smart (2008), Date Night (2010) opposite Tina Fey, and Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011). In 2010, he endeared himself to younger audiences by voicing supervillain–turned–lovable father Gru in Despicable Me, a role he has reprised in several sequels. Carell has also featured in more dramatic roles, earning praise for his work in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), The Big Short (2015), Vice (2018), Beautiful Boy (2018), and Asteroid City (2023), as well as an Oscar nomination for Foxcatcher (2014).

In the second season of The Office, Carell gained a producing credit. He now runs a production company with his wife, Nancy, and they produced the Rashida Jones-led Angie Tribeca on TBS. He returned to television on the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, for which he earned another Emmy nomination, the Netflix comedy Space Force, and in the Hulu miniseries The Patient.

Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly)

Jenna Fischer was working steadily in guest appearances on shows like Six Feet Under and That ’70s Show when she got her big break as the kind and funny receptionist, Pam. With her character initially engaged to another man while yearning for Jim (John Krasinski), Fischer became part of the show’s most enduring love story — and she’s happy to see how the show has continued to impact viewers after all these years.

“Thanks to the new digital streaming services, it’s out there for people to see and rewatch. It makes me so happy,” Fischer told EW in 2019. “It really does deeply resonate with people and is meaningful beyond just being entertaining. I feel honored and love that the show is still out there and making people laugh.”

While playing Pam, Fischer branched out into other comedic gigs in movies like Blades of Glory (2006), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), and Hall Pass (2011), where she often played love interests cut from the same cloth as Pam. Since The Office ended, she’s had recurring parts on several short-lived TV shows, including The Mysteries of Laura, Splitting Up Together, and You, Me, and the Apocalypse. She also appeared in The 15:17 to Paris (2018) and Mean Girls (2024).

In 2019, she and The Office costar Angela Kinsey started a weekly podcast called Office Ladies, looking back at episodes of the show. Three years later, she and Kinsey also co-wrote the book Office BFFs. In 2024, Fischer — who shares two children with her husband, screenwriter Lee Kirk — revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer the previous year, but has since undergone successful treatment and is “cancer-free.”

John Krasinski (Jim Halpert)

John Krasinski broke out as the deadpan, lovelorn, prank-loving Jim Halpert, earning legions of fans for his quiet pining for office receptionist Pam in one of the greatest sitcom love stories. Even after a decade behind the series finale, the actor still gets emotional about the last day of filming.

“I’m choking up just talking about it, but then when you come back in and see your TV dad and all of your family waiting [at Poor Richard’s Dive Bar] and clapping, and [co-creator Greg Daniels] said, ‘That’s the end of The Office,’ I think the color black came out of my mouth,” he said in a 2024 episode of Office Ladies. “It was just the scariest, most beautiful, horrific moment of my life.”

Since his time on the show, Krasinski has focused his energy on the big screen, appearing in everything from indie films (2009’s Away We Go, 2012’s Promised Land) to rom-coms (2009’s It’s Complicated, 2011’s Something Borrowed) to action flicks (2016’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi). He proved himself an action star on the small screen on Amazon‘s adaptation of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan novels as the titular character previously portrayed in movies by the likes of Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. He is set to appear alongside Natalie Portman in Guy Ritchie‘s heist adventure Fountain of Youth, and reprise the role of Jack Ryan in a feature film alongside some of his series costars.

Krasinski has also launched a promising career as a writer-director with Brief Interviews With Hideous Men (2009), horror hits A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place Part II (2020) — which starred Emily Blunt, his wife and the mother of their two daughters — as well as the children’s film IF (2024).

Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute)

Before The Office, Rainn Wilson was best known for his recurring role as funeral home intern Arthur Martin on Six Feet Under, but he proved himself a new comedic talent as eccentric, brown-nosing office drone Dwight Schrute, earning three Emmy nominations for his performance.

On the 10th anniversary of The Office‘s finale, Wilson shared his gratitude for the unforgettable experience. “So grateful for that nine year chapter of my life. Filled with laughter and camaraderie with a radiant and brilliant group of goofballs,” he captioned a carousel on Instagram. “I’m forever blessed by my association with a show that has withstood the test of time and brought so much joy to so many over the years.”

Since the show’s end, he’s brought his unique brand of humor to shows like Adventure Time and Backstrom, and films like Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017). In 2008, he founded the digital media company SoulPancake, and in 2015, he published an autobiography titled The Bassoon King. On television, he has appeared on Star Trek: Discovery, Utopia, Dark Winds, the Roku movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022), and the Apple TV+ miniseries Lessons in Chemistry. In April 2024, he launched his Soul Boom podcast, featuring conversations that explore spiritual and psychological topics with various guests.

Since 1995, Wilson has been married to writer Holiday Reinhorn, with whom he shares a son named Walter.

Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor)

Mindy Kaling first joined the sitcom as a member of the writing staff, but soon found her ditzy, romance-obsessed office worker Kelly Kapoor becoming a fan favorite. In 2010, she was nominated for an Emmy for co-writing “Niagara,” the season 6 two-part episode where Jim and Pam get married.

“As I get older, I realize how lucky I was with that job,” she told Variety in February 2025. “But then the idea that I would work on the show for eight years and do this intensive [deep dive] in comedy writing and comedy acting, and be around Steve Carell, Greg Daniels, B.J. Novak, and Mike Schur, and just learn from them for so many years…. It completely set up my career.”

She also began to take on supporting roles in films like No Strings Attached (2011) and The Five-Year Engagement (2012), and doing voice-work for Wreck-It Ralph (2012). In 2012, Kaling began starring in her own show, The Mindy Project, where she played the lovable but narcissistic Mindy Lahiri for six seasons. Debuting on Fox, the series — which she also created, wrote, and produced — moved to Hulu for its fourth season as one of its first pieces of original programming.

Kaling memorably voiced Disgust in Pixar’s Inside Out (2015) — but did not reprise the character in the 2024 sequel — and featured in films like A Wrinkle in Time (2018), Ocean’s 8 (2018), and Late Night (2019), the latter which she also wrote. She continues to build her own impact as a multi-hyphenate, writing best-selling memoirs and developing several TV projects like Hulu’s Four Weddings and a Funeral; Netflix’s Never Have I Ever and Running Point; and Max‘s The Sex Lives of College Girls and Velma.

Kaling has three children: daughters Katherine and Anne, and a son named Spencer.

B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard)

B.J. Novak was another cast member to pull double duty as actor and member of the writing staff. He portrayed Ryan Howard, the sleazy office intern who maintained a toxic relationship with Kelly Kapoor. Prior to The Office, Novak was a comedian, perhaps best known for his time as one of Ashton Kutcher‘s sidekicks on the prank show Punk’d.

Novak has continued to act in films like Inglourious Basterds (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), and Saving Mr. Banks (2013), where he portrayed one of the songwriting Sherman brothers. He has also appeared on television shows including The Newsroom and Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project.

However, Novak has focused more on writing and business ventures since his time on the show — releasing a collection of short stories titled One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories; launching the now-defunct List App; creating the Hulu anthology series The Premise; and writing, directing, and starring in the 2022 film Vengeance.

Novak is godfather to Mindy Kaling’s children.

Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone)

Brian Baumgartner had only scored a few guest-star appearances when he was cast as the dry, not-all-that-bright Kevin Malone on The Office.

“The Office being 10 years, nine seasons, I mean, I was essentially on the show the entirety of my thirties,” he said in a 2022 episode of his iHeartRadio podcast, Off the Beat. “It’s such a long period of your life and you establish such deep relationships and obviously, such close identification with those characters…. I consider it a blessing, especially the amazing fans who talk about how The Office gave them comfort, how it helped them during a difficult time.”

Kevin remains Baumgartner’s most enduring role, but he’s also appeared in films like License to Wed (2007), Four Christmases (2008), and Confessions of a Christmas Letter (2024) — the latter of which he reunited with Office costar Angela Kinsey. He’s continued to rack up guest-star credits on TV shows such as Scream Queens, Life in Pieces, Hot in Cleveland, Mike & Molly, Melissa and Joey, The Goldbergs, and Disjointed. The actor has also had recurring roles as Dr. Olonari on Amazon’s Hand of God and Colin Franklin on The Other Black Girl.

He has hosted multiple podcasts about The Office — including An Oral History of The Office for Spotify and The Office Deep Dive with Brian Baumgartner for iHeart — and co-wrote the 2024 book The Night Before Christmas at Dunder Mifflin.

Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin)

Angela Kinsey was best known for a recurring voice role on King of the Hill before being cast as uptight, rule-stickler Angela Martin on The Office. Her scandalous, long-kept secret office romance with Dwight Schrute served as a fun counterpoint to the more tender romance of Jim and Pam.

“I think the show keeps finding an audience, A) because it’s really funny and it holds up. But also because I think the workers at Dunder Mifflin were this dysfunctional family,” she told Today in 2020. “And we all have a Dwight in our family. We all have an aunt that’s like Angela.”

She’s continued to excel on television, starring on Hulu’s Real Housewives spoof The Hotwives of Las Vegas and the Netflix series Haters Back Off!. She was a guest star on The Real O’Neals, Life in Pieces, New Girl, Impress Me, and more. She also costarred in Netflix’s Tall Girl (2019) and its 2022 sequel, and lead Hallmark’s Confessions of a Christmas Letter. She cohosts Office Ladies with Fischer and wrote the book Office BFFs with her former costar.

Kinsey shares a child with her ex-husband, writer and producer Warren Lieberstein. Since 2016, she’s been married to actor Joshua Snyder and is stepmom to his two children.

Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Vance)

Phyllis Smith was working as a casting associate when offered a role as the soft-spoken Phyllis on The Office.

“We were at the point in the casting process where we were pairing up the actors to see what their chemistry would be together and putting them on tape for the producers and also for the network,” she said in a 2024 episode of the Office Ladies podcast. “I remember Ken Kwapis, the director, he was getting his coffee together, and he turned around to me, and he said, ‘Phyllis, I want you to read the character of Pam today.'” And then one day, Smith received an updated script with a new character sharing her first name.

She has since parlayed the role into other memorable parts, including a highly-praised turn as the voice of Sadness in the Inside Out films and its Disney+ spinoff series. She’s had parts in Bad Teacher (2011) and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021); appeared on shows like Trophy Wife and The Middle; and had a 12-episode stint on Netflix’s The OA.

Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer)

Kate Flannery was well-known in the comedy world and as a stage performer before landing the part of the boozy Meredith Palmer.

“Meredith was such a beautiful character to play. She could get a laugh without even having a line,” she told Philadelphia Magazine in 2023. “I might just do something small in the background. I loved the subtlety of it. My mother would always say, ‘I wish Meredith talked more.’ But I feel like when Meredith talked, it was worth the wait. This was a really smart show that treated the audience like they had a brain.”

Flannery’s since taken on similarly bawdy, gruff, and outlandish characters in guest-starring roles on shows like New Girl, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Night Court. She lent her voice talents to the cartoons OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes and Steven Universe, and had a nine-episode stint on the Hulu series All Night. In 2019, Flannery was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars (ultimately placing seventh), and five years later, she competed on The Masked Singer (placing eighth).

Flannery has been with her longtime partner, photographer Chris Haston, since 2006.

Oscar Nuñez (Oscar Martinez)

Oscar Nuñez built himself a solid career as a comedian and actor before earning his biggest role yet as Oscar Martinez, an office employee who is frequently the target of casual racism and homophobia. In 2009, he had a memorable turn as a stripper (and various other occupations) named Ramone in The Proposal.

“[The Office] holds up, ’cause it’s just so well written. And then the cast was really good. If the cast sucked, but it was well written, or if the cast was great, and it wasn’t well written, we can’t do anything if we don’t have material,” he said to Today in 2020. “It’s just a workplace, and then it’s all based on the characters, on people’s foibles and people’s peccadilloes and delusions of grandeur.”

Following The Office, he’s headlined shows like Benched and People of Earth, as well as guest-starred on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Shameless, and Liv and Maddie. He also played Mr. Hernandez on Netflix’s Mr. Iglesias; guested on three episodes of Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist; and had supporting parts in The Lost City (2022), Disenchanted (2022), and Dashing Through the Snow (2023). Nuñez is the only Office cast member signed on for the Peacock follow-up series.

He shares a child with his actress Ursula Whittaker, whom he married in 2011.

Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton)

Creed Bratton — who, before the show, was likely best known as a member of the folk band the Grass Roots — plays a fictional version of himself on The Office as the resident eccentric, enigmatic oddball.

“I think in these times, we need something with a good heart and a kindness to it, and even though it was cringeworthy comedy, [the show] had heart and it just touched a sweet spot,” he told Today in 2020. “I think truly The Office has a sweet spot for everyone or else they wouldn’t keep coming back to it. I know I loved being on that show, and apparently everyone else loved it too, so, lucky us. All of us.”

Since The Office, he’s guest-starred on various shows like Grace and Frankie, Franklin & Bash, and Upload, and has appeared in films such as Terri (2011), The Guilt Trip (2012), and The Sisters Brothers (2018). He’s also released solo studio albums, such as Slightly Altered (2020) and Tao Pop (2024).

Ed Helms (Andy Bernard)

Like Steve Carell, Ed Helms was another former Daily Show correspondent who rose to wider fame on The Office, portraying a cappella-obsessed Cornell alum Andy Bernard.

“The staying power of that show is just mind-boggling,” he said during a 2021 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “People love it, and I’m so proud to be part of it. That’s all amazing.”

Helms hit it big on the big screen as a mild-mannered dentist who loses a tooth after a wild night in Vegas in 2009’s The Hangover. He has since appeared in multiple Hangover sequels and other films like Cedar Rapids (2011), We’re the Millers (2013), Tag (2018) and Family Switch (2023). Helms also continued to amass a long string of guest-star credits on shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, Angie Tribeca, Arrested Development, and more. In 2021, he co-created and starred on the Peacock sitcom Rutherford Falls, which was cancelled after two seasons.

Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson)

Paul Lieberstein moonlighted as put-upon HR rep Toby Flenderson for all nine seasons of The Office, but he was also actually one of the executive producers and writers of the show, even becoming showrunner for seasons 5–8.

“So this was like kind of a very traditional thing that writers and actors are kind of separated on a TV show, you know, and they’re kind of asked not to talk…. We talked about just doing a little thing to kind of have the experience of being an actor. And hopefully it would inform our writing,” Lieberstein explained in a 2020 episode of the Office Ladies podcast. “I’m not sure how Toby happened, but I feel like I left the room and I came back and they said, ‘You’re going to play this part.’ And it was one line, you know, in “Diversity Day” — I say this one line and get kicked out of the room.”

Following The Office, he went on to executive produce the third and final season of The Newsroom, which he appeared on as a train passenger named Richard Westbrook. He also took over as showrunner for Fox’s short-lived Ghosted. He guest-starred on an episode of The Mindy Project and had a recurring role on the series People of Earth.

In 2018, he wrote and directed his first feature film, Song of Back and Neck, which screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. He went on to write and direct the 2022 Comedy Central TV movie Out of Office.

In 2008, Lieberstein married Janine Serafin Poreba — who appeared in the first two episodes of The Office as Toby’s girlfriend, Amy.

Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin)

Craig Robinson is yet another Office success story. Though he’d worked on television and as a comedian prior to portraying warehouse worker Darryl Philbin, his time on The Office helped launch him to wider success and he’s grateful for his time on it.

“Being on The Office, it’s like you’re everybody’s friend. Everywhere I go somebody is ready to buy you a drink or share a story,” Robinson said in a 2022 episode of Office Ladies. “And now people have seen [the show], you know, nine, 10, 14 times through…It’s just such a blessing to be a part of that.”

Since landing his Office gig, the actor has starred in comedies like Hot Tub Time Machine (2010) and frequently collaborated with Seth Rogen, appearing in Knocked Up (2007), Pineapple Express (2008), This Is the End (2013). He also portrayed a version of himself on the short-lived television series Mr. Robinson and lent his voice talents to The Cleveland Show, Sausage Party (2016), Big Mouth, and The Bad Guys (2022). Additionally, he led the Fox sitcom Ghosted opposite Adam Scott and had a memorable recurring role as Doug Judy, “the Pontiac Bandit,” on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Robinson has also dabbled in drama since leaving The Office, appearing in the James Brown biopic Get on Up (2014) and indie drama Morris From America (2016), for which he received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. He starred on the Peacock comedy series Killing It from 2022 to 2023 and played the uptight Sheriff Hunter in Netflix’s 2024 Christmas rom-com Hot Frosty.

Ellie Kemper (Erin Hannon)

A comedian on the improv circuit, Ellie Kemper was best known for viral internet sketches before joining The Office as new receptionist Erin Hannon when Pam moved into a sales job.

“It’s so amazing to see people respond to the show still now…. And I think what resonates with people is it’s an infinitely relatable experience,” she told Today in 2020. “There’s a heart to this show, so it doesn’t just feel like you’re watching some kind of sugary sweet show. You’re watching something that has a lot of emotional depth to it…. I think it’s very powerful. I’m glad that I got to be a part of that, but I’m glad that a show like that exists in the first place”

Kemper then went on to appear in films like Bridesmaids (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), Home Sweet Home Alone (2021), and Happiness for Beginners (2023), as well as lent her voice to several animated projects — including The Secret Life of Pets (2012) and its 2019 sequel, The LEGO Batman Movie (2017), and more. From 2015 to 2019, she headlined the Netflix series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and earned two Emmy nominations for her portrayal of the title character. She also published her first book, My Squirrel Days, in 2018.

Kemper has been married to TV writer Michael Koman since 2012. Together, they have two sons.