The Office: 10 Hilarious Time Michael Scott Broke Character

Michael Scott is considered by many to be one of the greatest characters of all time, and there are two things that need to be given due credit for this. The first is the show itself — The Office is easily one of the most creative sitcoms of all time, and the sharp writing of the show helped elevate the status of every character that was written specifically for this show. Michael Scott is no exception to this golden rule, proving to be the beating heart of the series for the longest time.

The second reason as to why Michael Scott is such a legendary character is because of the actor who portrayed said fictional person himself. Steve Carell is one of the most legendary comedy actors of all time, and one need only look at his brilliant performance in The Office to understand why this is the case.

However, even the most seasoned actors around would still find it hard to keep a straight face while re-enacting the script of The Office. Even Steve Carell couldn’t help but break character and laugh wholeheartedly at the following ten scenes in the show.

10 A Hilariously Awkward Interaction With Jan (Season 2)

After hooking up with Jan for the very first time, Michael decides to greet Jan in the office with a hug and kiss, only for the entire interaction to become hilariously awkward in the span of seconds.

In fact, the first time they try to pull this scene off is so naturally funny that Melora Hardin can’t help but control her laughter, causing Steve to break character as well.

9 Reciting Chili’s Catchy Jingle (Season 2)

However, it would be impossible to talk about bloopers with both Steve Carell and Melora Hardin without mentioning the hilarious scene at Chili’s, when Michael and the client end up singing along to the famous jingle.

The first three times Michael sings this jingle is so hilarious that all three people on the table can’t help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

8 Dwight Asking Him A Very Personal Question About Jan (Season 6)

While this scene might not have Melora Hardin in the picture, it still discusses her character… to a rather disgusting extent.

Dwight — being Dwight — asks Michael a series of personal questions, ultimately leading up to her butt and a rather specific part of said area. The question comes completely out of nowhere, leading Carell to break character and laughing out loud twice before the scene can be recorded in its entirety.

7 Dwight Describing A Rather Visceral Act Using A Sensitive Male Body Part (Season 4)

During their journey to face Karen and stop her from poaching Stanley, the trio of Michael, Dwight, and an unwilling Jim end up in a rather hilarious exchange that includes Dwight talking about ripping off a chunk of a male organ that most people would prefer to not be named.

The manner in which Wilson delivers this line is so hilarious that the entire car can’t help but break out in laughter time and time again.

6 Getting Slapped By Dwight As A Response To An Innocuous Knock-Knock Joke (Season 5)

Dwight Schrute is an oddity, and the manner in which he decides to deliver a joke is the perfect way to describe his eccentric behavior.

After baiting Michael into a KGB knock-knock joke, Wilson ends up slapping Carell a bit too hard while delivering the punchline. The entire moment is so unexpected that Carell can’t help but break character twice during this moment — once after getting slapped and the other during their “fight”.

5 Working Out In The Most Over-The-Top Manner Ever (Season 6)

During a montage of Michael working out, he ends up leaking out a ton of sweat through every pore during one especially rigorous regimen.

The entire situation is extremely ridiculous, and Carell can only spit out so much water with every rep before bursting out in laughter along with the rest of the cast.

4 Pronouncing Shia LeBeouf’s Name In The Worst Manner Possible (Season 3)

Mispronouncing names might seem like the laziest way to gain a laugh, but the nature of The Office means that even such a basic joke can prove to be quite hilarious indeed.

In fact, the joke was so funny that even Steve Carell can’t keep a straight face. That being said, his monologue was quite long, and it’s understandable if mispronouncing Shia LeBeouf’s name was ultimately the straw that broke the camel’s back.

3 Bursting Out In Laughter After Stanley’s Overblown Reaction (Season 4)

Leslie David Baker did a fantastic job of portraying Stanley, with his deadpan delivery being the stuff of legends in the show. That being said, there’s one particular instance when he decides to forsake his classic act in favor of something more…enthusiastic.

This happens when Michael comes out and tells people that they know what time it is, to which Baker ostentatiously remarks about getting to go home. His delivery is so unexpected that Steve Carell is reduced to tears laughing.

2 Appearing As A Fat Man During A Conference Meeting (Season 5)

The entire get-up is so convincing that the cast starts laughing from the very first second that Michael enters the room. Even Carell himself is unable to hold in his laughter and breaks character too.

1 Trying To Explain The Benefits Of A Miniscule Flat-Screen TV (Season 4)

The Dinner Party episode of The Office is the very peak of cringe humor in the series, showcasing exactly why the series is so beloved. There are several standout moments throughout this episode, with the reveal of the famous flat-screen TV being an obvious highlight in this context.

Since the actors themselves had no idea of how small the flat-screen TV would actually be, witnessing it for the first time causes the entire group of Carell, Hardin, Krasinski, and Fischer to burst out in laughter every time something even remotely funny happened.