Who is Erin Hannon in The Office?

Show

The Office

Played by

Ellie Kemper

First episode

“Michael Scott Paper Company”Season 5, Episode 23, aired April 9, 2009

Role

Main cast

Network

NBC

Occupation

Receptionist, Dunder Mifflin Scranton

Show run

2005 to 2013

Also known as

Kelly Erin Hannon

Erin Hannon arrives at Dunder Mifflin as the new receptionist late in season five and quickly becomes the most cheerful person in the building. Played by Ellie Kemper, she is trusting, a little naive, and so openly kind that even the office cynics have trouble staying annoyed with her.

On The Office, Erin Hannon's story runs through Andy Bernard (Ex-boyfriend), Michael Scott (Father figure), Kelly Kapoor (Friend), Pam Beesly (Predecessor at reception), and Dwight Schrute (Coworker).

Who is Erin Hannon?

Erin is hired to replace Pam at reception after Pam leaves to join the Michael Scott Paper Company. Her legal first name is Kelly, but the office goes by her middle name to avoid confusion with Kelly Kapoor, who soon becomes one of her closest friends.

She stays at the front desk for the rest of the series. Erin grew up without her birth parents, and that history quietly shapes her: she attaches herself to her coworkers as a kind of family, and she comes to look up to Michael as a father figure.

Personality and comedy

Erin's comedy comes from pure, uncomplicated enthusiasm. She takes jokes literally, gets genuinely excited about office parties and small tasks, and approaches every strange situation with wide eyes and good intentions. Her bright, unguarded cheer makes her a natural foil for the more jaded people around her.

That sincerity was a deliberate change. Kemper has said she originally auditioned for a drier, more sarcastic version of the receptionist, and the writers reshaped the part into a brighter, exaggerated version of her own personality. Erin's positivity made her popular in the writers' room, and her role grew well beyond the handful of episodes first planned.

Key storylines

Dwight and Andy both compete for Erin's attention when she arrives, and Andy wins out. They finally start dating in season six, until Erin learns at a "Secretary's Day" lunch that Andy was once engaged to Angela and never told her. She dates Gabe Lewis in season seven, breaks up with him in front of the whole staff at Michael's last Dundies, and later admits to Michael that she might still be in love with Andy.

In season eight Erin moves to Florida during the Sabre store project and plans to stay, but Andy drives down and wins her back in "Get the Girl." When Andy disappears on a long boat trip in season nine, Erin falls for new salesman Pete Miller and ends things with Andy. In the finale she finally meets her birth parents, who come to see the office after watching the documentary.

Behind the scenes

Ellie Kemper was a fan of The Office before she joined it and was initially booked for only a few season five episodes. The producers expanded the character, and Kemper is credited as starring cast from season six through the end of the series in season nine.

The character takes her name from the show's writers' assistant, Kelly Hannon. Critics regularly praised Kemper's performance in the later seasons, and after The Office ended she went on to star in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Erin Hannon: frequently asked questions

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