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The Office character guide

Who is Meredith Palmer in The Office?

The hard-partying supplier relations representative at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, a frank, fearless single mom whose drinking, flings, and unlucky accidents make her the office's most unpredictable guest at any party.

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Meredith Palmer's Sitcomdle clue card

The five clues the game shows when Meredith Palmer is the answer or a guess.

Show
The Office
Debut
2005
Network
NBC
Role
Main
Gender
Female

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

Show
The Office
Played by
Kate Flannery
First episode
“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired March 24, 2005
Role
Main cast
Network
NBC
Occupation
Supplier relations representative
Show run
2005 to 2013

Meredith Palmer handles supplier relations at Dunder Mifflin Scranton and has absolutely no filter about her personal life. Played by Kate Flannery, she is the first to reach for a drink at office parties and still manages to surprise her most jaded coworkers.

On The Office, Meredith Palmer's story runs through Michael Scott (Boss), Creed Bratton (Coworker), Pam Beesly (Coworker), Phyllis Vance (Coworker), and Dwight Schrute.

Meredith Palmer from The Office: Sitcomdle character card

Who is Meredith Palmer?

Meredith works in supplier relations at the Scranton branch, although a first season birthday card calls her an accountant, one of the show's small inconsistencies. She has been divorced at least twice, lives with her son Jake, and has a daughter, Wendy, who lives with her father.

She is the office's party animal. Meredith loves a drink, speaks bluntly about her romantic life, and treats every company outing as a chance to let loose, often with spectacular results.

Personality and comedy

Meredith's comedy comes from her total lack of shame. She surfaces from the captain's cabin during the booze cruise, cheerfully admits to trading favors with a supplier for discounts, and is unbothered by things that horrify everyone else. She also suffers an unlucky run of accidents, from being hit by Michael's car to catching lice.

Under the chaos she is kind. She is one of the few people who welcomes Phyllis's handmade Secret Santa gift, she forgives Pam for passing her the lice, and she rarely holds a grudge against anyone in the office.

Key storylines

Michael throws Meredith an early birthday party in "The Alliance" to lift office morale, and it goes badly. In the season four premiere he hits her with his car in the parking lot, cracking her pelvis, and the hospital visit reveals she also needs treatment for rabies, which inspires Michael's charity fun run. In "Business Ethics" she happily confesses how she gets discounts from a supplier.

At Phyllis's Moroccan Christmas party, Meredith's hair catches fire during a belly dance, and Michael stages an intervention and drags her to a rehab clinic, only to learn that people have to choose rehab for themselves. In season nine Pam lets Meredith take the blame for an outbreak of lice, and Meredith shaves her head. The finale brings one last surprise: the stripper at Angela's bachelorette party turns out to be Meredith's son, Jake.

Behind the scenes

Kate Flannery is one of the show's improv-trained supporting players. She originally auditioned for the role of Jan Levinson before being cast as Meredith. In the pilot episode, Meredith was briefly played by Henriette Mantel, and Flannery took over from there.

Meredith was a recurring character in the first season and joined the starring cast in season two. Her fearless, scene-stealing moments made her a fan favorite, proof that a character with only a few lines an episode can still steal the show.

Key Meredith Palmer episodes

  1. “The Alliance”Season 1, Episode 4Michael throws Meredith a birthday party a month early, and his card joke falls flat.
  2. “Booze Cruise”Season 2, Episode 11Meredith makes the most of the company boat party, including a visit to the captain's cabin.
  3. “Fun Run”Season 4, Episode 1Michael hits Meredith with his car, and she ends up being treated for rabies.
  4. “Business Ethics”Season 5, Episode 3Meredith cheerfully confesses how she gets discounts from a supplier during an ethics seminar.
  5. “Moroccan Christmas”Season 5, Episode 11Meredith's hair catches fire at the party, and Michael stages an intervention.
  6. “Lice”Season 9, Episode 10Meredith takes the blame for an office lice outbreak and shaves her head.

Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.

Meredith Palmer: frequently asked questions

Who plays Meredith Palmer in The Office?

Kate Flannery plays Meredith from season one through the 2013 finale. In the pilot episode only, the part was played by Henriette Mantel.

What is Meredith's job at Dunder Mifflin?

Meredith works in supplier relations at the Scranton branch. One early episode calls her an accountant, but supplier relations is her job for most of the series.

Does Meredith go to rehab?

Michael drags her to a rehab center in "Moroccan Christmas" after her hair catches fire at the office party, only to learn that you cannot simply sign someone else up for rehab.

What happens to Meredith in "Fun Run"?

Michael hits Meredith with his car in the office parking lot, breaking her pelvis. At the hospital she learns she also has rabies, and Michael organizes a charity fun run in her honor.

Who is the stripper at Angela's bachelorette party?

In the series finale, the stripper hired for Angela's bachelorette party turns out to be Meredith's son, Jake.

Test yourself: Meredith Palmer quiz

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

  1. Question 1

    Who plays Meredith Palmer in The Office?

    1. Kate Flannery
    2. Tom Bosley
    3. Aziz Ansari
    4. Colton Dunn
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Kate Flannery

    Kate Flannery plays Meredith Palmer.

  2. Question 2

    In what year did Meredith Palmer first appear on The Office?

    1. 2005
    2. 2007
    3. 1999
    4. 2002
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. 2005

    Meredith Palmer debuted in 2005, in "Pilot" (Season 1, Episode 1). That year is the Debut clue in the game.

  3. Question 3

    Which episode was Meredith Palmer's first?

    1. "The Alliance"
    2. "Pilot"
    3. "The One with the Sonogram at the End"
    4. "Charlie Gets Crippled"
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. "Pilot"

    Meredith Palmer first appeared in "Pilot," Season 1, Episode 1.

  4. Question 4

    Which best describes Meredith Palmer?

    1. Ex-basketball player turned LAPD officer
    2. Energy vampire and office worker
    3. Actor, Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives
    4. Supplier relations representative
    Show the answer

    Answer: D. Supplier relations representative

    Meredith Palmer: Supplier relations representative.

  5. Question 5

    Which network first aired The Office, Meredith Palmer's show?

    1. FX
    2. NBC
    3. CBS
    4. FOX
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. NBC

    The Office premiered on NBC in 2005. The game's Network clue always uses the original network.

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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