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The Office character guide

Who is Kelly Kapoor in The Office?

The chatty, pop-culture-obsessed customer service representative at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, whose dramatic on-and-off romance with Ryan Howard is one of the office's longest-running soap operas.

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Kelly Kapoor's Sitcomdle clue card

The five clues the game shows when Kelly Kapoor is the answer or a guess.

Show
The Office
Debut
2005
Network
NBC
Role
Main
Gender
Female

Kelly Kapoor has not been a daily answer yet. Play today's Sitcomdle or play the The Office Wordle.

Show
The Office
Played by
Mindy Kaling
First episode
“Diversity Day”Season 1, Episode 2, aired March 29, 2005
Role
Main cast
Network
NBC
Occupation
Customer service representative
Show run
2005 to 2013
Also known as
Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor

Kelly Kapoor handles customer service at Dunder Mifflin Scranton and can talk for minutes without taking a breath about celebrities, shopping, and her love life. Played by Mindy Kaling, who was also one of the show's writers, she is a burst of energy in a beige office.

On The Office, Kelly Kapoor's story runs through Ryan Howard (On-and-Off Boyfriend), Darryl Philbin (Ex-boyfriend), Michael Scott (Boss), Erin Hannon (Friend), and Toby Flenderson (Annex Neighbor).

Kelly Kapoor from The Office: Sitcomdle character card

Who is Kelly Kapoor?

Kelly is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch, working back in the annex near Toby. She makes her entrance in the second episode, "Diversity Day," when Michael greets her with an offensive accent during his diversity exercise and she slaps him. In the first season she is a quiet background presence.

From season two on, the writers turned her into one of the loudest personalities in the building. Kelly is boy-crazy, gossip-loving, and fluent in celebrity news, and she approaches every relationship like the season finale of a reality show.

Personality and comedy

Kelly's comedy is speed and self-absorption. She can spin a two-minute story out of what happened to her yesterday, cry and recover in the same sentence, and turn any office event into a referendum on her feelings. She also has a sneaky, vengeful streak: when Jim and Dwight skip her party, she quietly sabotages their customer survey scores.

She is not as shallow as she seems, though. Kelly is sharp about people, enrolls in Sabre's minority executive training program, and when the branch needs a new manager she interviews for the job herself and gets Gabe thrown off the search committee.

Key storylines

Kelly's romance with temp Ryan Howard begins with a kiss the day before Valentine's Day in season two and never fully ends. Her parents meet him at the Diwali celebration, criticize his lack of commitment, and try to set her up with an Indian doctor. He dumps her the moment he gets a corporate job, she tries to win him back by pretending to be pregnant, and she dates Darryl for a while before breaking up with him to go back to Ryan. In season seven the pair announce they secretly married on a whim and are already divorcing.

In season eight Pam and Jim set Kelly up with Ravi, Cece's pediatrician, and Kelly chooses him over Ryan. In the season nine premiere she leaves Dunder Mifflin to move with Ravi to Ohio, thinking at first they are headed to Miami. In the finale she reunites with Ryan at Dwight and Angela's wedding, and the two run off together.

Behind the scenes

Kelly was created after the pilot. Greg Daniels needed someone to slap Michael in "Diversity Day" and picked Mindy Kaling, who was already on the writing staff. Kaling wrote many episodes, including "The Dundies," "Diwali," and "Niagara" (with Daniels), and she directed "Michael's Last Dundies." She has said that performing Kelly's long, breathless monologue in "Valentine's Day" helped her understand who the character was.

Kaling left after season eight to create and star in The Mindy Project, so Kelly appears as a guest in the season nine premiere and returns for the finale.

Key Kelly Kapoor episodes

  1. “Diversity Day”Season 1, Episode 2Kelly debuts by slapping Michael after his offensive impression during a diversity exercise.
  2. “Diwali”Season 3, Episode 6Kelly invites the office to a Diwali celebration, where her parents size up Ryan.
  3. “Dunder Mifflin Infinity”Season 4, Episode 3Kelly tries to win Ryan back by telling him she is pregnant, and it backfires.
  4. “The Search”Season 7, Episode 15Kelly and Ryan reveal they secretly married and are already getting divorced.
  5. “New Guys”Season 9, Episode 1Kelly quits to move to Ohio with Ravi, and Ryan follows.
  6. “Finale”Season 9, Episode 24Kelly reunites with Ryan at Dwight's wedding and the two run off together.

Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.

Kelly Kapoor: frequently asked questions

Who plays Kelly Kapoor in The Office?

Mindy Kaling plays Kelly. She was also a writer, producer, and occasional director on the show for its first eight seasons.

Why does Kelly leave The Office?

Mindy Kaling left after season eight to make The Mindy Project. On screen, Kelly leaves in "New Guys," the season nine premiere that aired September 20, 2012, to move to Ohio with her fiance Ravi.

Who does Kelly end up with?

Kelly ends up with Ryan. In the series finale the two reunite at Dwight and Angela's wedding and run away together, leaving her fiance Ravi behind.

What is Kelly's job at Dunder Mifflin?

Kelly is the Scranton branch's customer service representative from season one through season eight.

Did Mindy Kaling write for The Office?

Yes. Kaling was one of the show's writers and wrote episodes including "The Dundies," "Diwali," and "Niagara," which she co-wrote with Greg Daniels.

Test yourself: Kelly Kapoor quiz

5 questions about Kelly Kapoor. Think of your answer, then open the reveal to check it.

  1. Question 1

    Kelly invites the whole office to celebrate which Hindu festival with her family?

    1. Holi
    2. Navratri
    3. Diwali
    4. Pongal
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. Diwali

    In "Diwali," Kelly's parents size up Ryan and try to steer her toward an Indian doctor, while Michael proposes to his girlfriend Carol in front of everyone and is turned down.

    See question 14 in the full quiz

  2. Question 2

    What is Erin Hannon's real first name, which the office avoids using?

    1. Karen
    2. Erica
    3. Kelly
    4. Holly
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. Kelly

    Her full name is Kelly Erin Hannon, and everyone goes by her middle name so she will not be confused with Kelly Kapoor.

    See question 27 in the full quiz

  3. Question 3

    Who plays Kelly Kapoor in The Office?

    1. Mindy Kaling
    2. Jesse Tyler Ferguson
    3. Jason Alexander
    4. Peter Boyle
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Mindy Kaling

    Mindy Kaling plays Kelly Kapoor.

  4. Question 4

    In what year did Kelly Kapoor first appear on The Office?

    1. 2002
    2. 2005
    3. 2011
    4. 2009
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. 2005

    Kelly Kapoor debuted in 2005, in "Diversity Day" (Season 1, Episode 2). That year is the Debut clue in the game.

  5. Question 5

    Which episode was Kelly Kapoor's first?

    1. "The Engagement"
    2. "Our Very First Show"
    3. "Diversity Day"
    4. "The Gang Gets Racist"
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. "Diversity Day"

    Kelly Kapoor first appeared in "Diversity Day," Season 1, Episode 2.

Take the full The Office quiz (30 questions)

Sources and corrections

Reference pages used for this guide, including character, cast, and episode details.

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