Jenna weighs in on ‘sexist’ criticism of her character in The Office
Actor Jenna Fischer opened up about some of the criticism that was directed at her character, Pam Beesly, on the popular sitcom, The Office. During the latest episode of The Office Ladies podcast, Fischer spoke with co-host Angela Kinsey, who played the role of Angela Martin on the sitcom, about how some fans “were not happy” with Pam’s decision to briefly move to New York City to attend art school.
While breaking down season five’s episode Weight Loss, Part 2, Kinsey noted that people were “fired up” that while her character was seen laughing with new friends, her then-boyfriend Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski) was talking about how much he missed her.
“People were not happy with Pam when this episode aired, I remember,” said Kinsey. “I just want to say that when Pam went to art school for only three months when she was not yet married and didn’t have children, people came down real hard on her because of Jim’s feelings,” said Fischer.
Fischer added, “...I just want to say I noticed a lot of hate for Pam. Do I want to call it sexist? I do.”