The One Word Which Forced 'The Office' to Add a Warning Before an Episode

There were many rules at Dunder Mifflin in The Office—most of which were made (and broken) by manager Michael Scott. So it's no surprise that the one and only episode that came with a warning was because of something Steve Carell's beloved character said. One word, to be exact.

According to CheatSheet, the no-no word occurred during "Sexual Harassment" in Season 2. As fans remember, HR has a talk with the employees about inappropriate sexual conduct in the workplace. Naturally, this prompts Michael to act up.

During the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer (who played Pam Beesley) revealed where the warning, which was unusual for the show, came from, hilariously recalling, “It all came down to the word ‘boner’ with Phyllis. The scene with Phyllis at the end when Steve says something like ‘I’m just afraid I’ll get a boner.'"

There were less warning-worthy words being optioned, but B.J. Novak (who played Ryan Howard and also wrote the episode) said that this was the one. So it stuck. Apparently, the warning was a compromise. And the rest is Dunder Mifflin history!