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The Office concluded its run on primetime television in May 2013. When the show ended, the cast and crew thought it was only right to host a wrap party where it all began — Scranton, Pennsylvania. All of The Office cast and crew were in attendance that day, but only a few got drunk at the bar after the parade and event at PNC Field.  

Ben Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Howard Klein, Greg Daniels, and Ken Kwapis of 'The Office'
Ben Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Howard Klein, Greg Daniels, and Ken Kwapis | Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The Office finale marked the end of an era

Steve Carell left the series during its seventh season in the most gracious way he knew how. To demonstrate Michael Scott’s growth as a character, Carell thought it was good for Michael to lie about his leaving.

“Michael lives to be celebrated — to be the center of attention,” Carell explained on co-star Brian Baumgartner’s podcast, An Oral History of The Office. “But the fact that he’d walk away from his big tribute, his big sendoff, and be able to, in a very personal way, say goodbye to each character — that to me felt like it would resonate.”

Instead of an elaborate event, Michael had a special, personalized goodbye with each of his employees, just as Carell intended. 

Steve Carell didn’t want to return for ‘The Office’ series finale

Because Carell went out in a special way, he didn’t feel right coming back to take part in the finale of The Office.

“I had told Greg I just don’t think it’s a good idea because I felt like Michael’s story had definitely ended,” he explained. Fortunately, showrunner Greg Daniels convinced Carell otherwise. What’s more, Daniels managed to keep Carell’s guest appearance a secret from the rest of the cast. 

“We lied to everybody about Steve,” editor Dave Rogers explained to Baumgartner, who added: “The reason they had to lie was because they didn’t trust the network to keep the secret.” 

Steve Carell’s appearance at ‘The Office’ wrap party was also a surprise

To celebrate the setting of The Office, the wrap party was held in Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

All of the original cast and crew paraded through town and held a Q-and-A session with fans at PNC Field. Initially, Carell was going to be part of the parade portion of the day. The plan was to have him waving to fans out of a gigantic “World’s Best Boss” mug. But unfortunately, there were security concerns.

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Still, Carell was present for the question-and-answer portion of the day, which sent fans absolutely wild. “The moment that Steve walked out on that baseball field, oh my gosh… the crowd just erupted,” Jenna Fischer remembered. “It was amazing.”

Brian Baumgartner, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, and Ellie Kemper all got drunk at ‘The Office’ wrap party 

After an exhilarating day with fans at PNC Field, Baumgartner and his co-stars headed to the bar. 

“Did you get super drunk at that bar after because I really got super drunk at that bar,” Fischer said during the “That’s a Wrap” episode of the podcast. 

Baumgartner recalled a photo of him, Fischer, and John Krasinski from that night. They were tending bar for fans. “We were all so happy,” he said.

“Ellie and I closed down that bar,” Fischer added. “I remember walking back to the hotel with her, riding in the elevator. Ellie’s always the last person to leave a party.” 

According to Baumgartner, he was the last person to leave The Office wrap party. Either way, he and his castmates are glad to have celebrated in Scranton, where The Office will live on forever. 

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