When after the amazing nine season run the NBC’s hit mockumentary sitcom The Office wrapped up, we saw quite a few from the cast members making it big in the industry, while some still finding their footing to thrive. Among those names, Jenna Fischer, who played the ever-iconic character of Pam Beesly for nine season, quickly concluded that acting was no longer her cup of tea.
During a conversation on the Dinner’s On Me with Jesse Tyler Ferguson podcast, Fischer opened up about the brutal truth behind why she called it quits on acting.
Why Did Jenna Fischer Left TV?
Jenna worked as one of the main leads of the sitcoms, which meant putting in more hours, sometimes going up to 70 hours a week which came at a expense of precious family time, especially with her kids still so young. This naturally prompted her to rethink her decision to keep acting.
She said, “The hours were so intense. It was like 65, 70 hours a week. You know, it was, like, really, really hard, and my kids were very small.”
Though sometime after The Office, Jenna again tested the water with ABC comedy Splitting Up Together. Soon after, when the network axed the show after two seasons, Jenna had her that’s-it moment.
She continued, “I just decided after that that being, like, the lead of a television show or even a regular on a television show was not going to be a fit for me anymore. So, when that show was canceled, that’s when I pivoted into podcasting.”
Jenna Fischer Discusses Her Podcasting Journey
The Office may have left her life, but Fischer chose to keep The Office alive within her. When Splitting Up Together got cancelled, the 52-year-old star kick started Office Ladies, a podcast revisiting episode and behind-the-scenes memories of the show with her co-star and close friend, Angela Kinsey.
With this new escapade, Fischer found what had been missing throughout her TV journey: freedom and control of her time. This also came with another perk: a steady income that allowed her to afford a good lifestyle. And the best of all: more family time.
“I was now at every school drop-off, every school pickup, every teacher conference, every concert,” Fischer said. “I didn’t have to beg someone to go to the Halloween parade.”
Jenna Fischer Children Never Knew Who the Iconic Pam Was
When Jenna transitioned to podcasting, it came with one downside: her children weren’t aware of who the iconic Pam was, always believing their mother was just a podcaster.
“My kids, because they were so little when that change happened, they thought of me as a podcaster,” Fischer explained. “Like, if anybody asked them, ‘What does your mom do?’ they [said], ‘Oh, she’s a podcaster. She has a podcast.’ They didn’t understand what my podcast was about.”
Jenna has two children with her husband, Lee Kirk: a son named Weston Lee,14, and a daughter named Harper Marie Kirk, born in May 2014.
