Former tennis player Andy Roddick admits he didn’t know “The Office” writers named him the father of Jan’s baby in the show’s original script.
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey said on a 2021 episode of their “Office Ladies” podcast that Melora Hardin’s character, Jan, used Roddick as a sperm donor.
“No, I didn’t know any of that,” the tennis pro told Page Six when asked whether he was aware of the storyline, which was cut from the final episode in 2008.
“I knew Jenna and her husband Lee [Kirk] back in the day, and they knew that I was a huge fan of the show,” he continued.
“As far as that storyline goes, I woke up in the morning and had a bunch of texts on my phone.”
Roddick, who is married to supermodel Brooklyn Decker, said he was initially puzzled by the news he was almost name-dropped in the episode.
“It’s confusing to [hear] someone describing that storyline while also assuming you know about it,” he added.
In the episode, titled “Goodbye, Toby,” it’s revealed Jan fell pregnant while dating Steve Carell’s character, Michael Scott — but he wasn’t the father.
Fans have wondered who the sperm donor was for over a decade, and the podcast hosts said the answer was scripted, but ultimately cut out.
“In the script, Jan reveals whose sperm she bought,” Kinsey explained.
“Jan says: ‘You have to pay top dollar, but it’s worth it. Now, here’s the best part. I got Andy Roddick’s sperm.’ And Jan looks to Michael like she’s expecting him to be very impressed. And Michael says, ‘The tennis player?’”
She replied, “Well, it’s a little more than that. He’s the sixth-ranked player in the world and he’s won four grand slams,” to which Michael responds, “That’s a lot of grand slams, I guess.”
Jan chimed in again, “And he’s a humanitarian — something with orphans.”
Fischer speculated that the tennis player, who has partnered with IHG Hotels & Resorts for the upcoming US Open, may have been chosen because the writers knew he was a fan of the sitcom.
“Andy Roddick was friends with Rainn Wilson … he was a big fan of ‘The Office’ and he came by the set,” she said.
“I have to imagine that the reason they wrote it as being Andy Roddick’s sperm was a little bit of a nod to Andy, who has an amazing sense of humor. Me and Lee got to know Andy and Brooklyn [Decker] through our love of tennis. We would go watch Andy play tennis and sit with Brooklyn, and oh my gosh, I am so sad for his sake that this did not stay in the episode.”
Kinsey said she was also pals with the “Just Go With It” actress, who shares two children with Roddick, and texted her about the script.
After Decker caught wind of the news, she took to Instagram, writing, “Jan, sweetie, we need to talk.”
Decker and Roddick wed in 2009 and are parents to Hank, 6, and Stevie, 4.