Steve Carell Says He Lied About Not Being Involved With ‘The Office’ Finale

Steve Carell said he was forced to lie about his cameo in The Office finale in order to keep his involvement a secret.

Fans of the long-running NBC series wondered if Michael Scott would return for the final episode in May. In order to keep everything under wraps, Carell said he lied to just about everyone who asked about it.

“I lied for months to the press, to almost everyone, really. And I felt terribly for the cast and for [executive producer] Greg Daniels, because they all lied, too,” he explained to TVLine.

The Despicable Me 2 star’s lies weren’t malicious by design. In order to keep Michael Scott’s appearance from overshadowing the other characters, Steve Carell decided to throw people off the scent. According to Mstarz, the actor new “for months” that he would be returning to his old stomping ground for a cameo.

“I didn’t want it to be a big thing. I did it out of respect for the show and for the actors. My only hope with it was I didn’t want it to be about Michael coming back. I didn’t want the story to be about him in any way. I wanted it to be more of a tip of the hat to the show,” Carell explained.

Quite a few people tuned in to see The Office sail off into the sunset. Entertainment Weekly reports the final episode posted the strongest numbers in nearly 16 months. Approximately 5.4 million viewers tune in to say goodbye to their favorite characters, resulting in a 2.9 rating among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

In addition to Despicable Me 2, Steve Carell can be found alongside Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo in Bennett Miller’s drama Foxcatcher. The actor will also reprise his role as Brick Tamland in the highly-anticipated comedy Anchorman: The Legend Continues.

What do you think about Steve Carell lying about his involvement with The Office finale? Are you glad his Michael Scott cameo was a secret?