Steve Carell Spills the (Non-Dramatic) Tea: Real Story Behind His Office Exit
Steve Carell was the main star of The Office for seven seasons, playing the caricature boss Michael Scott, the regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc.
Carell's character was certainly central to the series, as his well-meaning but inept leadership was integral to The Office's unique atmosphere, serving as a foundation for much of the show's amazing humor.
Despite his important role on the sitcom, Carrell left the project after its seventh season and only made one guest appearance in the finale.
And though the series continued for another two seasons, the character's absence was lamented by the show's long-term fans.
Recently, the actor spilled the beans on the reasons behind his decision to leave the show. In an episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Carrell revealed why he decided to quit — and, surprisingly, his reasons had nothing to do with any behind-the-scenes conflicts or creative differences.
Instead, he felt that, "It was time for other characters to step to the forefront and other storylines to be pursued. I think it was the right… the timing was right…"
Steve also expressed gratitude for how the showrunners handled his character's departure:
"I was getting a chance to take a lap with everybody. And the way those last two episodes were structured, it felt very rich to me to simultaneously be saying goodbye as Michael and us as friends in this moment of work together."
However, while the actor himself felt that his exit was necessary for the show's further successful development, it looks like he wasn't quite right in this judgment. Certainly, Michael Scott's departure was well-written, and the subsequent storylines made good use of his absence, for example, by focusing the attention on Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) and his attempts to supersede Scott as a new regional manager.
But that was just one of the few things done well in the concluding seasons, and fans of the series generally agree that they were subpar.
While it's hard to say whether that decline in the show's quality was caused by the actor's departure or had been underway even before that, Steve Carell's character will always be remembered and admired by fans for all the laughs he created during his time on the cult sitcom.