Wilson says ‘The Office’ humor would not be made today
6 reported
Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on "The Office," told Fox News Digital that the NBC sitcom could not be made in today's cultural climate due to its politically incorrect humor. Wilson stated that the show had a lot of "really inappropriate" humor, particularly from his character and Steve Carell's Michael Scott, and that their antics would not be acceptable in 2026. He noted that even though the characters were portrayed as lacking self-awareness, the show's humor would not "fly" today. Wilson's comments come despite the recent premiere of "The Paper," a sequel series to "The Office" that launched on Peacock in September 2025. Wilson previously discussed the show's boundary-pushing humor in a September 2025 podcast, citing an episode involving a sharpie drawn on an Asian woman as "jaw droppingly kind of horrific."
What’s reported
Rainn Wilson told Fox News Digital that "The Office" could not be made today because it would be too "politically incorrect."
Wilson said there was a lot of "really inappropriate" humor from his character Dwight Schrute and Steve Carell's Michael Scott.
He stated that even though Michael and Dwight were portrayed as having no "self-awareness," their antics "wouldn't fly in 2026."
Wilson starred as Schrute across all nine seasons of "The Office," which aired on NBC for 201 episodes from 2005 to 2013.
A sequel series called "The Paper" premiered on Peacock in September 2025, with a second season set to launch later in 2026.
In a September 2025 podcast, Wilson described a "Benihana Christmas" episode as "jaw droppingly kind of horrific" and said the show was based around "clueless, insensitive, racist, sexist people."
Key figures
Rainn Wilson: Actor who played Dwight Schrute on "The Office"
Steve Carell: Actor who played Michael Scott on "The Office"
Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, Oscar Nuñez: Stars of "The Paper" sequel series
Sources: Variety
