Rashida Jones is taking a trip down awkward-memory lane, and The Office is at the top of the list.
The 49-year-old actress entered the Scranton chat in Season 3 as Karen Filippelli, a love interest for Jim Halpert (aka John Krasinski, aka the Internet’s Husband). She was this close to snatching Jim away from Pam, which, in Office fandom terms, is like walking into Hogwarts and demanding everyone call you the new Harry Potter.
During a recent episode of the Good Hang podcast with her Parks and Rec bestie Amy Poehler, Rashida opened up about getting the ol’ Dunder Mifflin pink slip.
“I had done a year on The Office, and they let me go, which made sense. It made sense,” she admitted, proving she’s clearly processed the trauma.
Amy, forever the supportive bestie, chimed in: “You had such a tough job there. Everybody was obsessed with Jim and Pam, and then you show up—cool, likable, beautiful—and everyone’s like, ‘Oh no, not today, Satan.’”
Rashida, however, was not feeling the love. “It did not feel that way,” she said. “People did not like me. Fans were not about it.”
And thus, Karen was banished to the land of What Could Have Been, forever remembered as the woman who dared stand in the way of TV’s most wholesome romance.
Rashida, we see you. We appreciate you. And honestly? Karen deserved better.
