Actress Rashida Jones recently opened up about her brief but memorable role as Karen Filippelli on NBC's hit sitcom "The Office," revealing that fans weren't particularly fond of her character.
During an appearance on Amy Poehler's "Good Hang" podcast, Jones candidly discussed her departure from the show after just one season. "I had done a year on The Office and they let me go, which made sense," Jones told Poehler, who later became her co-star on "Parks and Recreation."
Jones played Karen Filippelli, a Dunder Mifflin Stamford employee who became romantically involved with Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), creating a love triangle with Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer). The actress acknowledged that her character's main purpose was to "create tension" for Jim and Pam's eventual relationship.
"People did not like me. Like, fans were not about it," Jones admitted when Poehler attempted to praise her performance. Jones now accepts her role as "the third point in the triangle" that helped build the beloved Jim-Pam romance.
After her main run in season three, Jones made sporadic appearances through season seven. Interestingly, "The Office" creator Greg Daniels initially planned a spinoff centered around the Stamford branch, with Jones potentially serving as the connecting character between the two shows.
The actress ultimately found her breakthrough role as Ann Perkins on "Parks and Recreation," where she starred alongside Poehler for seven seasons. This casting nearly led to confusion between the longtime friends, who initially thought they were competing for the same role before discovering they would play best friends on screen.