The Office star Rashida Jones reveals the reason for her exit from the hit show 

NBC's The Office boasted of an impressive ensemble, as the show explored and introduced various characters throughout the seasons who quickly, either became fan favorites (think Kelly Kapoor) or overlooked characters (think Karen Filippelli).

Rashida Jones' Karen Filippelli joined the show in the third season as a salesperson in the Stanford branch. She lasted for one season before exiting, although she returned for a few episodes later on. In a conversation with Amy Poehler, Jones opened up on why she exited the show and whether the dynamic of Jim and Pam had a huge role to play in this.

Speaking on her podcast Good Hang, Jones talks about how the sitcom let her go after just one season, as she says,

“I had done a year on The Office and they let me go, which made sense. It made sense"

Poehler then tells the actress,

"You had such a tough job there, because everybody wanted Jim and Pam, and then guess who shows up? A very likable, cool... and everyone was like, 'Oh no, wait.'"

To which, Jones responds and says,

"It did not feel that way. People did not like me. Like, fans were not about it. I understand now that my role was to create tension for the relationship. So I was the third point in the triangle. It's fine. I accept it."

Jones became a disliked character among fans for becoming Jim Halpert's love interest, whom many shipped with Pam Beesley. The former two became colleagues and hit it off playing Call of Duty or just indulging in a series of pranks and light-hearted conversations, their relationship was short lived as it ended within one season and Jones exited the show after having been a recurring character in the entirety of third season.

More about Jim and Karen's relationship

In hindsight, Jim and Karen had a sweet and healthy relationship that faced a solitary roadblock due to the show's emotional core being Jim and Pam's relationship. Although the show tried to portray Karen as a third wheel in a love triangle among the three, she and Jim hit it off well, and the episodes that explored their love story were appreciated by many. Karen was clever, affectionate towards Jim, and in many ways a good fit for him.

Throughout the series, Jim dumps two women for Pam, the first being Amy Adams' character Katy Moore, whom he breaks up with after Pam and Roy's wedding gets announced in season 2. In the third season, Jim leaves Karen abruptly at the New York office while they were both there for an interview. He leaves her there without a ride and drives to Pam to ask her out for dinner.

Later on in the series, they accidentally meet and Karen is visibly upset when he tells her that he's finally dating Pam. However, later in the show she becomes the regional manager for the Utica branch, and is married to a dermatologist, Dan.

The Office is available to watch on Netflix.