Summary
- John Krasinski reveals that his favorite episode of The Office is "Diversity Day," showing his love for the show's unconventional and boundary-pushing humor.
- Viewers also loved the episode, appreciating its satirical take on racial awareness and the brilliant writing that made Michael Scott a likable character.
- However, Comedy Central pulled the episode from airing during a marathon, sparking criticism from fans who believed the channel missed the point of the plot and the episode's intention to challenge stereotypes.
John Krasinski has faced his fair share of popularity in the entertainment world. Although he has starred in numerous projects spanning from horrors to massive movie franchises such as Marvel, it's safe to say he's most known as the beloved Jim Halpert from the mockumentary series, The Office. This fame has brought on many challenges like odd fan encounters in public, or the brutal body transformations he was forced to undergo for certain projects.
Despite all the sacrifices The Quiet Place star has had to make during his career, he often makes sure to positively mention and pay respects to his acting beginnings from The Office. The often cringe-worthy sitcom focuses on various office workers, who have to deal with over-the-top shenanigans on a daily basis, most often due to their self-centered manager Michael Scott.
Even though the series ran from 2005 to 2013, it constantly gets brought up in Krasinski's interviews to this day. This gives the audience a chance to continue learning new information about the show from the actors themselves. Krasinski has, in this fashion, revealed his favorite-ever The Office episode, which happens to be one that got pulled from the air.
John Krasinski Had To Lie With David Letterman During Their Late Show Interview For The Sake Of The Office
John Krasinski, and other cast members of 'The Office' needed to lie to others to prevent an important secret about the finale from leaking.
John Krasinski Loved The Diversity Day Episode
When agreeing to do WIRED's Autocomplete Interview, where celebrities answer the web's most searched questions about themselves, it was highly unlikely the actor would manage to avoid questions about his The Office days.
One of these questions was curious about Krasinski's favorite episode of The Office that they have ever put out. The actor did not hesitate to answer. Surprising or not, his response marked the second episode "Diversity Day" as his all-time favorite. But why?
For those who didn't know, The Office started out as a copy of a British BBC show of the same name. While the first-ever American episode was copied word from word to pay respect to the original, the second episode that followed was entirely something new. Hence, why Krasinski holds this episode so close to his heart.
"Diversity Day" uses satire to tackle the inherently wrong ways the corporate world deals with racial awareness. The eccentric boss of Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott, makes his employees play a game where they have to guess their racial identity according to ridiculous stereotypes. Fans can probably imagine how that went.
John Krasinki's Career Would Have Tanked If It Wasn't For Steve Carell
Had Steve Carell's career not taken off when it did in 2005, the world may not know the acting, producing, and directing talents of John Krasinski.
Viewers Loved The Episode And Found It Hilarious
Although humor is an inseparable base of the American sitcom, the viewers also appreciate it for so much more than that. Improvised scenes, such as the emotional staircase scene between Dwight and Jim, and the first iconic kiss between Jim and Pam, are the reason why the characters still mean so much to their audience.
But, it's important to point out that "Diversity Day" episode may have been the reason why so many decided to stick with the show.
The episode showcased what the actors could offer if given the chance to work with a new script. And, they did not disappoint. The viewers loved the hilarious delivery to the point of some lines staying fan-favorite to this day.
Many have deemed the writing brilliant right from the get-go; especially praising the writer's ability to give Michael some likable characteristics. The audience thoroughly enjoyed Michael's attempts to fix issues that stem from his own behavior, while completely disregarding the core problem.
If released in today's environment, many have agreed, it would probably be labeled as problematic. But that episode caused many would-be critics to decide to continue tuning in to the show, meaning the episode was a hit for more than just Krasinski's love of it.
Jenna Fischer Felt As Though She And John Krasinski Were 'Genuinely In Love' During The Office, But Krasinski Seems To Think Otherwise
John Krasinsk seems to think that Jenna Fischer's comments were misinterpreted by the media.
Diversity Day Wound Up Getting Pulled Off The Air
Despite the fact that the viewers share the same opinion as Krasinski, the American cable channel Comedy Central thought differently. The "Diversity Day" episode fell victim to the sometimes uncontrollable cancel culture. When Comedy Central was airing a Monday-to-Sunday The Office marathon, they made the decision to pull the episode from the air.
Fans of the show were not happy about this and went on to criticize the channel for completely missing the point of the plot. Some deemed the episode as pushing boundaries between funny and offensive.
As we have mentioned above, the episode was never made to be taken at face value. Nevertheless, in the episode, viewers can see Michael attempting to do the Chris Rock routine, as well as using a very thick Indian accent to mock the stereotypical way of speaking.
It was a risky way to jump-start the show's production of original content, but the episode's wackiness wound up earning it many fans. Not only that, but the episode was also a favorite of stars like John Krasinski, and probably reinforced that joining The Office was a good idea, even from the beginning.
