Andy Roddick Was Shocked About His Connection To The Office
In 2019, the popular NBC sitcom "The Office" got a rewatch podcast hosted by real-life friends and stars of the show Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey called "Office Ladies." Along with being a rewatch podcast, the two reveal plenty of interesting information, as is the case for "Goodbye Toby, Part 2."
In the episode, Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) unveils her pregnancy and says it is via a sperm donor. While the identity remains a mystery in the show, in the original script, the donor is real-life tennis player Andy Roddick, which is revealed in the recap episode. Anyone would be curious about Roddick's reaction to being named the father of Jan's baby, and Page Six got the opportunity to ask him directly. Roddick wasn't aware of this storyline prior, so it was confusing to say the least.
"As far as that storyline goes, I woke up in the morning and had a bunch of texts on my phone," Roddick said. "It's confusing to [hear] someone describing that storyline while also assuming you know about it."
Becoming friends with Andy Roddick, Jenna Fischer learned that he's a big fan of The Office
Bemused, Andy Roddick provided a possible explanation for his inclusion in the original script.
"I knew Jenna [Fischer] and her husband Lee [Kirk] back in the day," Roddick said, "and they knew that I was a huge fan of the show."
Though the women of the podcast never confirmed his answer with the writers of the episode, Fischer and Angela Kinsey echoed the same sentiment, speculating that his love for the show is likely the reason why he was named in the episode.
"Andy Roddick was friends with Rainn Wilson, and he was a big fan of 'The Office,' and he came by the set," Fischer said. "I have to imagine that the reason they wrote it as being Andy Roddick's sperm was a little bit of a nod to Andy, who has an amazing sense of humor. Me and Lee got to know Andy and Brooklyn through our love of tennis."
Andy Roddick could have been the father of Jan's daughter
In the "Office" Season 4 finale, "Goodbye Toby, Part 2," Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner), is tasked with retrieving barbecue sauce from the supermarket. While there, Kevin calls Michael Scott (Steve Carell), insisting that Michael meet him at the supermarket. When Michael arrives, he's surprised to find Jan and stunned to see that she's pregnant. Ecstatic, he believes the baby is his because she conceived it while they were in a relationship. Jan, however, breaks the news that it was through a sperm donor.
In the "Office Ladies" recap, Angela Kinsey explains that in the script Jan tells Michael that Andy Roddick is the sperm donor. Jan even mentions how she had to pay "top-dollar" for the sperm. Because Michael is unimpressed, she rattles off Roddick's accomplishments. For the briefest of moments, Michael believes that he is going to be father, so with those hopes crushed, Michael just sits quietly and asks Jan to give him a minute.
It's sad that it wasn't included because it likely would have opened so many more opportunities for the show, likely leading to a fun cameo with Roddick himself. Alas, it'll simply remain a big part of "The Office" lore that a former tennis champion is the father of Jan's baby.