Why did Steve Carell leave The Office after S7? Jenna Fischer reveals Michael Scott’s initial casting directions from showrunner's notes

Jenna Fischer recently opened up about the original casting instructions for Michael Scott from The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, while speaking in the latest episode of the podcast Office Ladies on March 26, 2025.

Jenna said in the episode that the initial instruction for the character was to find someone who could portray a “comic character” and that the actor needed a face to express several things. Fischer continued explaining the requirements of the character, including the physique, as she said:

“Someone with the heart of a nine year old but who plays between 34 and 44. Someone whose face and physique do not command natural respect, i.e., not buff and handsome, boyish, not rugged, capable of high spirited sunny energy as well as small specific acting.”

Notably, Michael Scott was featured on the show until the seventh season, which ended in 2011. However, he made a guest appearance in Season 9, and he had already been serving as a producer of the NBC sitcom since the third season.

Steve Carell also addressed the reasons behind his exit from the show when he appeared on Office Ladies podcast last year, saying that it was the right time for the rest of the characters to get more focus compared to him. Carell further stated:

“I was getting a chance to take a lap with everybody. And the way those last two episodes were structured, it felt very rich to me to simultaneously be saying goodbye as Michael and us as friends in this moment of work together. But, yeah, it was a lot, it was a very emotional thing.”

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Jenna Fischer reveals more about the original requirements for Michael Scott

While speaking on the new episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer said that Michael Scott was described as the manager of the office. Fischer further stated that the character considered himself a legend and a friend of his employees alongside being an expert in comedy.

Fischer said that Michael has a lot of faith in his version of reality and likes to stay attracted to the image he has created about himself in his mind. Jenna continued by saying:

“He has a buffoon, a pathetic mid level bureaucrat overdue for a midlife crisis whom decent people pity as a quote sad little man when his inappropriate behavior hasn’t appalled them into silence. Horribly overconfident, he has a train wreck of bad leadership characteristics, only redeemed a bit by his childish enthusiasm.”

As mentioned, Michael Scott was featured on The Office since the first season. While the series celebrated its 20th anniversary on March 24, 2025, Greg Daniels, who developed the show for NBC, appeared for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, addressing the changes he made to Michael’s character after Season 1.

Daniels said that Michael initially appeared as a bad person on screen since they tried to adapt the show accurately from the BBC version. Greg stated that things started to change from the second season and added:

“I made a list of maybe eight things that I would do to change Michael in the minds of the audience, and each one of them became the ending of an episode. For instance, in “The Dundies” I was proving the point that the staff can complain about him, but when someone outside the staff picks on him, they defend him.”

Throughout his appearance on the show, Michael Scott shared a close relationship with characters like Dwight Schrute. The character was also loyal and tried to help his employees in times of need, even though he showcased selfish behavior on certain occasions.