Whatever Happened To Oscar From The Office?

The Office went off the air six years ago, but it often feels like the sitcom is more popular than ever before. Fans just can't get enough of the series' relatable and hilarious characters, but one can only watch the same episodes so many times before wondering what happened to the extensive cast after Dunder Mifflin closed up shop for good. And if you're one of these fans who's wondering whatever happened to Oscar from The Office specifically, then you've come to the right place.

Accountant Oscar Martinez was portrayed by actor and comedian Oscar Nunez from the series' first season all the way until its end in season nine, appearing in all but 11 of The Office's episodes. Although Nunez's run on the show remains his most recognizable role, he's kept quite busy since exiting The Office, and he accomplished some pretty notable things in his career before the series, as well. So take a look below to see how Oscar from The Office got his start in show business, what he was known for prior to The Office, and what he's been up to since the series went off the air back in 2013.

After making a name for himself as a performer in the comedy scenes of both New York and L.A., Nunez made the move in front of the camera in 2000. But instead of spending years building up a résumé with bit parts in shows no one's ever heard of, Nunez hit the ground running with a memorable guest appearance on season one of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In the series' fifth episode, "Interior Decorator," main character Larry David runs afoul of a parking attendant after he convinces her to let him exit the lot at his lawyer's office even though he has no cash to pay for parking. He tells her that he'll pay her the next day, but when he returns, a new parking attendant has taken her spot, one played by Oscar Nunez.

Larry and Nunez's attendant get into an argument because Larry wants to give him money so he can eventually hand it over to the other parking attendant. But Nunez's attendant is apprehensive about doing so, saying he doesn't want to be held responsible for taking the money. Eventually, Larry convinces him to take the cash, but then ends up running into the other parking attendant anyway before she's paid back by Nunez's character. After she harasses him, Larry is forced to pay her, too. It's a classic episode from a classic show, and Oscar Nunez helped make it great.

When The Office began its run in 2005, Nunez was there as Oscar Martinez. One of three accountants in the office along with Kevin and Angela, Oscar functioned mainly as a background character who didn't have a ton to do during the series' first two seasons. He then got his first major arc in the second season finale and third season premiere, where the character was outed as being gay. His sexuality became a central aspect of Oscar's character from that point forward, and it functioned into a number of stories. He also was a trailblazer, as after his outing, Oscar was the only LGBT person of color to be a regular character on a sitcom at the time. Others would soon follow, but Oscar's effect on television diversity cannot be understated.

In subsequent seasons, Oscar would continue to get more screen time and the occasional storyline. He emerged as one of the smartest (and, sometimes, cockiest) workers in the office. He became a loyal friend to Kevin and his sometimes-nemesis Angela. And he enjoyed the "finer things" in life with Toby and Pam. Oscar also received some more dramatic storylines late in the show's run, namely his affair with Angela's husband Robert in season nine. 

Oscar appeared in nearly every episode of The Office, save for his hiatus in the middle of season three while Nunez was filming the Comedy Central series Halfway Home. He became an integral part of the show, and for Office fans, it's tough to imagine the series without Oscar.

After The Office and in between all those other TV gigs, Nunez found the time to land a regular role on a new sitcom — and it didn't take him long, either. In 2014, Nunez was cast as a main character on the USA sitcom Benched. The courtroom comedy starred Eliza Coupe as a high-powered corporate attorney who, after suffering a public nervous breakdown, is forced to work as a public defender. Nunez portrayed one her her colleagues, a public defender named Carlos. Here's how the show's website describes the character: "Carlos' passion is helping people, a fervor matched only by his frustration with clients who make a habit of returning to the system. However, Carlos has given so much to his job that his personal life is falling apart. But he would never dream of giving up the fight, even if he's closer to burning out than he'd like to admit."

Unfortunately for Oscar Nunez, and for Carlos, Benched wasn't exactly a hit. The series was on the air for just two months before getting the ax, airing one season consisting of 12 episodes. Despite its failure to earn a strong following, however, the series was actually pretty well-received. The show earned a 67 percent fresh critical rating and a solid 75 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. For comparison, season eight of The Office — aka the "Robert California season" — earned a 55 percent critic rating. Just sayin'.

Nunez is unquestionably best known for his TV work. After all, that's what happens when you star on one of the most popular shows on TV for a decade. But the actor has also stepped away from the small screen in favor of the big screen on occasion, and he's done so with increasing visibility since The Office ended. 

In 2014, two years prior to his role in People of Earth, Nunez played a priest in the Milo Ventimiglia action film Tell. In 2015, Nunez appeared alongside Antonio Banderas in the drama The 33, which was based on the 2010 Chilean mine collapse. Nunez played Yoni Barrios, one of the miners. In 2016, Nunez starred in the quirky dramedy Miss Stevens, where he played a school principal. The movie was considered a breakthrough performance for Nunez's co-star, Timothée Chalamet, who later went on to earn an Oscar nomination for his role in 2017's Call Me by Your Name. Also in 2016, Nunez had a cameo in the Christopher Guest Netflix mockumentary Mascots. In 2017, Nunez continued to explore the big screen, landing the role of Councilman Rodriguez in Baywatch alongside megastars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Zac Efron. Since then, Nunez's roles have been more in the indie realm, with appearances in the little-known dramas DriverX and Yes.

Through his work in movies, Oscar Nunez has shown he's no one-trick pony. Whether it's action films, indie dramas, or big studio comedies, it seems Nunez can do it all.

While Nunez had a ton of experience in TV, movies, and even commercials, one space where he hadn't really flexed his acting muscles much was the streaming world. That changed in 2019 when Nunez was cast in a recurring role on the Netflix sitcom Mr. Iglesias. In the show, Nunez again plays a character named "Carlos," like in Benched, and he again plays a school principal (well, assistant principal), like in Miss Stevens. His character is more antagonistic than many of his previous roles, as he doesn't get along terribly well with the show's other characters — namely, the titular history teacher portrayed by stand-up comic Gabriel Iglesias. 

Carlos is known for his botched joke punchlines, which he follows with his catchphrase "A-boom!" The series is a multi-camera comedy with a laugh track which, coupled with the catchphrase, gives it a very '90s feel. It's honestly a little jarring to see Nunez in this type of sitcom since his previous roles have almost exclusively been in more modern single-camera comedies like The Office. But jarring or not, Mr. Iglesias has proven to be popular with viewers, and Netflix has already renewed the series for a second season. 

So with another season of Mr. Iglesias on the way and his continuing role with State Farm, it doesn't look like Oscar Nunez will be disappearing from our TV screens anytime soon.