Fans of The Office tuned in every week and continue to stream the show at record-breaking levels to both laugh and cringe at the antics of Steve Carell's Michael Scott, regional manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. No one on TV pushed the limit quite like Michael Scott, which made it hard for some fans to stick around after Carell left The Office.
While Michael Scott loved his employees and used them to fulfill his need for friendship and family that drove him, he usually alienated himself due to his tendency to push the joke, his employees, and even his relationships way too far.
10 He Pushed The Limits On Diversity Day By Using Stereotypical Viewpoints
Fans were introduced to Michael Scott in all his glory very early on in The Office with the second episode of the first season, "Diversity Day." After a diversity consultant was brought in to talk with the Scranton branch following Michael's inappropriate retelling of a Chris Rock joke, he decided to hold his own meeting.
The staff was forced to wear index cards with different races and told to act out how they would treat that person. Michael used a very stereotypical and racially insensitive accent with Kelly Kapoor after he decided his employees weren't doing it right, and she slapped him.
9 Almost Every Interaction He Ever Had With Toby Flenderson From HR
Michael Scott's main nemesis on The Office was Dunder Mifflin's Human Resources representative in Scranton, Toby Flenderson. In almost every one of their interactions, Michael is rude, inappropriate, and frequently brings up sad facts about Toby's life when introducing him to new people.
Michael's even threatened to kill Toby or talked about killing him on more than one occasion, which pushes their work relationship into a form of emotional abuse. "You are a waste of life, and you should give up," is just one of the many terrible things that Michael Scott has said to Toby over the years that could be considered too far.
8 Michael Hired And Then Spanked His Nephew In Front Of The Whole Office
Evan Peters guest-starred on The Office as Dunder Mifflin's new hire Luke in the seventh season episode "Nepotism," which revealed that Michael Scott had decided to hire his half-nephew for a new position. unfortunately, Luke was lazy, rude, and should never have been given the job in the first place.
Not only did Michael Scott engage in nepotism when he chose to hire his nephew onto the staff at Dunder Mifflin, he also dished out some corporal punishment when he spanked Luke in full view of the rest of the staff after he was disrespected in the office one too many times. It's not a good look for a manager, and just one of many times that Michael went way too far.
7 He Sent The Office On A "Gay Witch Hunt" Before Forcing Oscar To Kiss Him
The third season of The Office premiered with "Gay Witch Hunt," which saw Michael Scott accidentally out Oscar for his sexual preferences after he told an off-color joke. This led Michael to further out Oscar when he tried to make things better, though it only made things worse.
Michael called one of his patented meetings to sort out the various feelings and interactions the office had to the revelation that Oscar was gay. While Michael Scott was trying to come at it from a good place, he drove Oscar away from the office after he forced him into a non-consensual kiss, missing the point entirely.
6 He Used A Few Tone-Deaf Characters Like Prison Mike That Went Way Too Far
Michael Scott's meetings were always sure to be a spectacle, which was usually used for entertainment for bored workers like Jim or Pam as you never really knew what to expect from Michael Scott. However, it was always safe to bet on the fact that he would appear in one of the many stereotypical characters that he debuted over the years.
One of his worst was Michael Klump, which he used to hold a discussion about fighting obesity that really just made fun of overweight people thanks to the half-inflated sumo suit he wore. However, the one that definitely went too far was the racist and stereotypical "Prison Mike" character, which he created after he discovered one of his new employees had previously been to prison.
5 He Tried To Make Phyllis's Wedding All About Himself And Made A Huge Scene
Michael Scott doesn't just keep his over-the-top behavior to the office, as he went too far a number of times when he was given a small role in "Phyllis's Wedding" which aired in the third season. Michael was asked to push Phyllis' father's wheelchair down the aisle, but when he stood up and walked the last bit, Michael was disappointed and felt upstaged.
He then continued to make rude comments throughout the wedding that ultimately led to a long toast at the reception which was insulting to the bride. This caused her angered husband, Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration, to throw Michael out of the wedding. Thankfully, he realized we went too far and apologized to Phyllis before she left for the wedding night.
4 He Started The Michael Scott Paper Company After Quitting His Job At Dunder Mifflin
When Dunder Mifflin brought in an executive to help oversee the daily duties at the Scranton branch, Michael Scott felt that his job was threatened. When combined with what he felt was a disrespectful undermining of his authority, Michael Scott decided to hand in his two weeks notice.
He then decided to start his own rival paper company which get him forcibly removed from the office before his two weeks were up. Michael poached Dunder Mifflin employees and stole their customers to build his business. While he managed to leverage the sale of the company to bring him and his workers back to the company, it definitely went much further than it should have.
3 Michael Scott Frequently Fake Fired His Employees And Made Pam Cry
While he was always one for practical jokes, Michael Scott didn't have the best ability to read the room or his audience. For example, he loved to frequently pretend to fire his employees, which put Pam through a bit of an emotional wringer.
Michael Scott was trying to show off to new temp Ryan when he first attempted to fake fire Pam, which first angered her and then caused her to cry. He broke the awkward silence with laughter after accusing her of stealing, which made everyone but Michael Scott uncomfortable. Michael would then repeat this prank with Erin years later.
2 Michael Went Too Far In Almost Every One Of His Romantic Relationships
Michael Scott had quite a few questionable workplace romances that he usually pushed too far. He revealed he was dating his boss Jan after he accidentally leaked a topless photo to the warehouse. He also fell in love with Toby's HR replacement Holly and crossed more than a few lines, like accosting her boyfriend at a different branch or throwing out a Woody doll in anger.
He had issues outside of his workplace romances as well, like when he proposed to his realtor after only going on a few dates with her. Michael also hooked up with Pam's mother at her and Jim's wedding before they started to date, though he dumped her on her birthday after he found out how old she was, which put a strain on his working relationship with Pam.
1 Michael Promised Scott's Tots That He Would Pay Their College Tuition
Without a doubt, one of the worst things Michael Scott ever did on The Office occurred in the sixth season episode "Scott's Tots," where it was revealed that years earlier he had promised to pay the college tuition for an entire class of underprivileged children. He was invited to their high school so they could honor his kindness and generosity that inspired many of them.
Unfortunately, Michael Scott had no intention of paying their tuition and made the empty promise because it made him feel good to see the kids happy – though they were all understandably very upset when he revealed he couldn't pay and offered them laptop batteries instead. It quickly became one of Michael Scott's most over-the-line moments that still makes fans cringe.
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