‘The Office’ Writer Calls Out SNL’s Japanese Office Parody For Having Only White People

Mike Schur, a writer celebrated for his work on The Office, recently shared his mixed feelings about a 2008 Saturday Night Live sketch titled “The Japanese Office.”

The parody, which aired during an episode hosted by Steve Carell, has since racked up millions of views online. However, Schur opened up about his unease with it during an appearance on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast.

While Schur acknowledged SNL as a major cultural force, he admitted this particular sketch didn’t quite land the way he had hoped. “I felt a little bit rankled,” he said, reflecting on how the parody represented The Office.

The sketch begins with Ricky Gervais, the creator of the original British The Office, introducing a fictional Japanese sitcom that he claims inspired his show. In the segment, Steve Carell reprises his role as Michael Scott, joined by SNL cast members Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig, who portray Japanese versions of the show’s familiar characters.

In the sketch, characters speak Japanese, eat ramen, and sing karaoke, ending with Ricky Gervais delivering the punchline: “It’s funny ’cause it’s racist.”

Mike Schur admitted he struggled to understand the premise. “It’s like, ‘They stole the show from me, but I stole it from the Japanese version,’ yet all the actors in the Japanese version are white people. It sort of didn’t track to me somehow,” he explained.

Akiva Schaffer, a member of The Lonely Island and the sketch’s director, shared similar reservations during an earlier podcast episode. Schaffer expressed discomfort with the predominantly white cast but deferred to Marika Sawyer, a Japanese-American writer who conceived the idea.

“I kept looking to her and saying, ‘I’m here to bring your dreams to life,’” Schaffer said. He emphasized that the team approached the project as Sawyer’s vision and aimed to support her creativity.

Schur contrasted this experience with another SNL parody involving The Office. He recalled Rainn Wilson’s hosting appearance in 2007, which gently poked fun at the mockumentary style. That sketch, according to Schur, felt more aligned with the spirit of what made The Office special.

While “The Japanese Office” remains a notable part of SNL history, Schur’s reaction highlights the ongoing challenges in comedy when it comes to cultural representation and reinterpreting beloved shows.

You can watch “The Japanese Office” here:

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