The Real Reason Ed Helms Took A Break From The Office Season 9
The Scranton branch employees of The Office's Dunder Mifflin have all made their fair share of mistakes. There's the time Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) spilled a towering pot of his "Kevin's Famous Chili" all over the carpeted floor. Or the time Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) embezzled company funds. And there's the time Michael Scott (Steve Carell)... actually, there are a lot of times when Michael messes up. Still love the guy, though.
Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) is no exception to this unfortunate Dunder Mifflin trend. Many of the blunders he makes stem from his unchecked anger issues. He's mature enough to accept anger management eventually, but even then, you're not going to find a halo hovering over his head. In fact, what's arguably his worst mistake occurs long after he graduates from the program, during The Office's ninth and final season. Absconding from Scranton and leaving his girlfriend Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) behind, Andy takes his family's boat to the high seas for a full three months.
Needless to say, the folks at Dunder Mifflin don't welcome him back with open arms, but Ed Helms actually had good reason for being off air during the eight episodes in which Andy is off adventuring.
Ed Helms' schedule whisked him away from The Office
Actors have all kinds of reasons for leaving in the middle of a production, some more drastic than others. In Helms' case, the reason was actually quite simple: his schedule demanded his presence elsewhere — on the set of The Hangover Part III, to be more specific (via MentalFloss). Given that he had starred as dentist Dr. Stuart "Stu" Price since the first entry in the franchise, it wouldn't have been right for him not to appear in what could very well be the final Hangover film. Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha also reprised their respective roles but, for all the star power, The Hangover Part III was left out to dry critically and commercially when compared to its two predecessors.
Helms officially returned to The Office in "Couples Discount," a mere ten episodes before the beloved mockumentary sitcom finally ended its long and successful tenure on NBC. His schedule didn't become any less hectic afterwards, but fans were just happy he was able to help close out a show he'd been a part of since season three — even if they (and Erin) were still fuming at him for boating his life away.