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Though the hit NBC show, The Office, officially wrapped over six years ago, fans of the show are just as invested as ever in Dunder Mifflin and its colorful employees. The show is full of laughter, ridiculous antics, and of course, a bevy of romances. After all, this is the show that gave us one of the best TV couples of all time, Jim and Pam. Part of what made the show so great is because of how talented the cast was. Not only were they skilled actors, but they also seemed to really enjoy working together and became long-time friends. However, there’s one couple from The Office who were more than friends during their tenure on the show.

The Office cast
The Office cast | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank

The characters of Dunder Mifflin

Though there were many terrible couples on The Office: Michael and Jan, Pam and Roy, and Andy and Angela to name a few, none were as dysfunctional as Ryan Howard and Kelly Kapoor. Their toxic relationship spanned multiple seasons, with its on-again/off-again nature and featured insane jealousy and strange obsession. Of course, that doesn’t mean we didn’t truly enjoy watching them together and root for them to be endgame. It was obvious that despite their unhealthy relationship, the two had true chemistry with one another.

A romance between the cast

It seems that a lot of that chemistry translated into real life as cast members B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling had a real relationship throughout the tenure of The Office. Though they weren’t together the whole time, the did have an on-again/off-again romance that strangely mirrored that of their characters. Of course, their relationship was not at all unstable, like that of Ryan and Kelly.

Mindy Kaling & B.J. Novak

In fact, the exes maintain a very healthy and friendly relationship to this day. The pair hang out nearly every week and Kaling recently helped celebrate Novak’s 40th birthday in style. “He’s a wonderful friend. He’s the godfather to my daughter. I see him every week. It isn’t the thing that people sometimes think it is. He’s really part of my family now, which is great. Even though that’s less of a sexy characterization of our relationship, I think it’s a deeper and a closer one. We do spend a lot of time together and it’s a great blessing in my life,” Kaling said about her former castmate in a recent interview.

16 years and counting

But despite the fact that the office alums are just friends, Hollywood is still hoping that they rekindle their romance and get back together. They are one of the most shipped pairings in Hollywood, often even rivaling fellow castmates John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer, who played Jim and Pam. For her part, Kaling seems totally fine with fans shipping her and Novak together. “It’s nice that people care. I’ve known him for 16 years. We met each other when we were 24, and we’re about to be 40. Anyone who’s known each other for that long…I think it’s nice. I like when people think it’s more romantic or sparkly or interesting than it is,” the office alum wrote.

It’s great to see that these former exes and castmates still have love for one another and remain friends. The Office definitely served as a sounding board for their careers and it’s heartwarming that the connection they shared on the show is still alive today.

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