'The Office' Star Refunds Kickstarter Backers $110,000 After Plans for a Spin-Off Series Don't Go to Plan

Leslie David Baker, the guy who played Stanley on The Office, pulled a move that is either wildly decent or suspiciously rare in Hollywood. He raised more than $110,000 from Kickstarter backers for a planned spin-off series, then hit the brakes hard when the project started slipping further and further behind.

Here’s the messy part: the campaign originally brought in $336,450, but some backers later backed out or changed their donations. Then COVID delays stacked up, and later the WGA strike added even more chaos. After all that, Baker decided to refund the money to backers, and that decision immediately sparked the side-eye question everyone hates to ask: was any of it a scam?

Now the Kickstarter money is going back, and the spin-off story is turning into something else entirely.

Leslie David Baker as Stanley was a standout in the popular comedy series, The Office.

NBC

After announcing plans for a spin-off series in 2020, Leslie was able to raise more than $110,000 from Kickstarter backers.

$336,450 was the original amount raised. However, some backers later pulled out or adjusted their donations.

Kickstarter

However, after several delays due to COVID-19 and, more recently, the WGA strike, Leslie decided he would refund all the funds he received from Kickstarter backers.

IMDB

Some fans began to question whether the whole endeavor had been a scam.

Twitter/PodioCommentary

"The actor who played Stanley on The Office scammed people out of $300,000."

Twitter/pugmane

"That's not a good sign."

Twitter/pugmane

Here's what Leslie had to say in response to the allegations.

Facebook

"The project took longer than anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control."

Facebook

"After careful consideration, we have decided to refund our backers."

Facebook

It also echoes the dilemma in the case where someone asks a friend to return rent money for a once-in-a-lifetime concert.

"You can expect to receive it over the following weeks."

Facebook

"The funds were never used for any purposes other than reward fulfillment and backer refunds."

Facebook

"Thank you again for all your love and support!"

Facebook

And here's how people reacted.

Facebook/MikePry

"It's respectable that he's returning the cash."

Facebook/Tully Page

"He's definitely no politician or conman."

Facebook/Khalil Bell

That's no scam!

Facebook/JohnMinter Carr

"The right thing" to do.

Facebook/Nathan Wallace

When the Kickstarter totals started wobbling from $336,450 down to what he ultimately had to return, some people decided to jump straight to “scam” instead of “delays.”

After COVID-19 delays and then the WGA strike hit the project, Baker had to explain why the timeline kept blowing up, not just once but repeatedly.

That’s when he publicly said the funds were for reward fulfillment and backer refunds, and that the money would come back over the following weeks.

Still, the internet reacted fast, with some calling it respectable and others insisting the actor who played Stanley couldn’t be trusted with $300,000.

What's your take on this story? Do you think Leslie did the right thing by refunding the Kickstarter money?

After all, he could have pocketed some, if not all, of the money and cut his losses. But the actor chose to be honest and return the funds to his generous backers.

We think that's pretty awesome of him. Love your work, Mr. Baker!

Nobody wants to be the person who gets refunded, but everyone wants the truth more than the twist.

Wondering if you should ask friends to repay you after tough times? Read this WIBTA question about getting lent money back.