Leslie David Baker — star of hit NBC series The Office — will return funds collected to make a spin-off based on his character, Stanley Hudson.
What was The Office spin-off about?
In 2020, Baker launched a Kickstarter campaign in an effort to create a spin-off of The Office based on his character Stanley titled Uncle Stan. In the spin-off, Stanley would come out of retirement in Florida and move to Los Angeles, where he’d help his nephew run a motorcycle/flower shop business.
At the time, Baker asked for $300,000 in the campaign. The project managed to earn $336,450 from 1,640 backers by the end of its run.
In a new update on the project’s Kickstarter page (via Variety) and on Baker’s Instagram, Baker addressed allegations that he had simply taken the funds and used them for his own purposes. Baker denied those rumors and apologized for the delay, acknowledging that a litany of issues kept the project from releasing sooner.
“We apologize about the delay in updates,” Baker wrote. “We have been working behind the scenes to get everything on track and rewards fulfilled. We are just as excited as all of you to get this project out and truly appreciate all of your patience and support. The project took longer than anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control.”
“Initial delays were caused because of the COVID lockdowns and pushed us back further than expected,” continued Baker. “As things started returning to normal and we commenced reward fulfillment and preproduction, the WGA strike was announced causing us to put things on hold again. As you are all aware, SAG is now on strike and we will continue to be on hold indefinitely until an agreement is reached. We stand in solidarity with those in the entertainment industry and will do our part in supporting WGA and SAG during these times.”
Baker said he still intends to have the project made once the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes end. In the meantime, he will refund everyone who donated to the campaign. Fan rewards and perks still being issued despite the refund. The actor also stressed that it was important to note that while the campaign raised $336,450, the actual amount they received was $110,629.81, due to people either never paying or lowering and canceling donations altogether.
“In light of the current economic situation, we felt that this was the best course of action,” Baker wrote. “You will receive a message notifying you of your refund as soon as it is issued and you can expect to receive it over the following weeks. We will also be contacting Kickstarter to facilitate expediting this matter. We have remained in constant communication with our backers via direct messaging and rewards have continued to be fulfilled during this time.”
