The Office scene with Michael Scott that was so dark it was cut after being shown just once
The Office is known for its often hard-to-watch humor, but one scene was so difficult to stomach that it was only shown once before being wiped forever.
Alex Rabinowitz, known as the Pop Culture Brain online, recently shared an interesting fact about the beloved comedy series that even the most loyal of fans didn't know.
Rabinowitz, who often reveals secrets about popular TV and movies, explained in a video that there was an opening scene from The Office, starring Steve Carell, that was so dark it was never shown again.
The season 6 Halloween episode, which was titled Koi Pond, originally aired on October 29, 2009.
The episode centers around Michael Scott (played by Carell) falling into a koi pond while on a sales call with Jim (John Krasinski).
However, the opening scene featured a group of children visiting the warehouse of their paper company, Dunder Mifflin, where they had put together a haunted house.
But, as often happened in episodes of The Office, Michael takes it too far.
It starts with Michael wearing a wrapped present box in front of his crotch - in reference to a Lonely Island digital short shown on Saturday Night Live called D**k in a Box - to welcome the kids into the haunted house.
The Office is known for its often hard-to-watch humor, but one scene in its 2009 Halloween episode was so difficult to stomach that it was only shown once
After promising he's going to 'scare the kids so bad,' he ends the haunted house tour by pretending to take his own life by falling from the ceiling with a rope wrapped around his neck, leaving the petrified kids screaming.
He then comes back to life, saying, 'Kids, just remember, suicide is never the answer.'
While the episode is still available in reruns and is now streaming, the opening scene was cut after complaints were made to the network.
The AV Club reported that an anonymous producer claimed that the scene was pulled because of Caryn Zucker, who was married at the time to then-president and CEO of NBC Universal, Jeff Zucker.
The publication said that due to her work in suicide prevention, Zucker urged her husband to have the scene removed.
After meeting with producers and representatives from the network, 'the episode was re-cut and re-delivered, with the original HD-SR delivery masters collected back from NBC and thrown into deep storage,' the AV Club wrote in a 2019 article.
Fans of the show commented on the surprising fact, many agreeing it was the right call to cut the scene - even if it was very in character for Michael Scott.
'It is very Michael Scott but yeah it's going a little far,' one fan agreed.
The office aired March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013 on NBC
It starred Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling and Angela Kinsey, in addition to Carell and Krasinski (pictured)
'Yeah, good for her. Too bad it wasn't caught and cut in pre-production. Not recommended,' wrote someone else.
'Love the wife. Nice to actually care about people,' praised one fan.
Others didn't think the opener was that offensive.
'I wanna use B word for that lady, it was so funny. Epic dark humor why did she ban it?' questioned someone else.
'I hate when TV shows do this. You aired it. Keep it,' declared another.
The Office aired from March 24, 2005, to May 16, 2013 on NBC. It starred Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling and Angela Kinsey, in addition to Carell and Krasinski.
