Louanne Kelley

Louanne Kelley
Biographical Information
Gender	Female
Professional Information
Occupation	Unknown; since she works in the annex it is possible that she is a Customer Service Representative or a H.R Rep
Workplace	Dunder Mifflin Scranton
Production Information
First	The Alliance
Last	Back From Vacation
Portrayed by	Louanne Kelley

Louanne Kelley is a fictional character on The Office.

Louanne works in the Annex along with Toby and Kelly. She has the desk near the kitchen door which faces toward Toby's desk. She almost never participates in office activities, has no audible lines, and is seen only in passing in the first three seasons.

Quick Answers

Who is Louanne Kelley from The Office?

Louanne Kelley is a character in 'The Office', working in Dunder Mifflin Scranton's Annex, potentially as a Customer Service Representative or H.R. Rep. She is known for her background presence, rarely participating in office activities or meetings. Louanne's desk is positioned near the kitchen door, facing Toby's desk. The character is brought to life by an actress sharing the same name, Louanne Kelley.

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What is unique about Louanne Kelley's desk in The Office?

Louanne Kelley's desk in The Office is distinguished by its placement near the kitchen door, facing Toby's desk. A mini water fountain, a unique identifier, is a constant feature on her desk. Even after her last appearance in Season 3, the desk remains active, evident from the papers, folders, and the switched-on computer monitor.

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Why does Louanne Kelley not participate in office activities?

Louanne Kelley, a character from The Office, is recognized for her minimal involvement in office activities. Stationed in the Annex with Toby and Kelly, she is mostly seen in passing during the initial three seasons without any audible lines. She refrains from participating in meetings or most office activities. The series does not provide a specific reason for her limited participation.

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What is the significance of Louanne Kelley's mini water fountain?

The mini water fountain on Louanne Kelley's desk is a distinctive feature that identifies her workspace throughout the series. Despite her last on-screen appearance in Season 3, her desk, marked by the water fountain and computer monitor, continues to be depicted as occupied.

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How does Louanne Kelley's appearance change between seasons 1 and 2 of The Office?

In The Office, Louanne Kelley's appearance shifts notably between seasons. Initially, in Season 1, she sports red hair. By Season 2, her hair color transitions to gray. Throughout these changes, Louanne maintains her role as a peripheral character, frequently observed at her Annex desk but seldom engaging in office events.

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Character

In Season 1, her hair is red, but by Season 2, she has gray hair.

Louanne does not participate in meetings or almost any other event. Her mini water fountain is a unique identifier of Louanne's desk, as it appears throughout the series on numerous occasions. While Louanne's last on camera appearance is in Season 3, her desk continues to appear to be in use, as many papers and folders litter the surface and her signature water fountain and computer monitor are turned on.

Speculative backstory

Considering her absence from every meeting and almost all events, Louanne may have been a corporate employee, like Toby. She may also have worked in human resources as well, inferring from a binder on her desk in "Hot Girl" that says "Nutritional Healing" and her plants and water fountain that were intended to induce a calming effect. However, Dwight mentions in "The Dundies" that there are no female HR employees.

Another possible explanation is that she didn't want to be part of the documentary, so the film crew took reasonable steps to avoid including her in video footage.

She may have quit shortly after another former employee, Hannah Smoterich-Barr, as Louanne is briefly seen in the following episode "Back From Vacation".

In a deleted scene from "Local Ad" Michael refers to a “woman... Who was kind of weird... Had the curly hair, used to be hanging around,” when complaining about the lack of extras for his commercial. He possibly was remembering Louanne.

Identity

In an online web chat, producer Greg Daniels identified the woman as Louanne, but it was not clear whether he was referring to the character's name or the actress’s. Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer confirmed the actress's name.

Daniels believed it would be more realistic to have office employees that we know nothing about, but as the series progressed, her continuing presence became harder to explain, and she disappeared just as mysteriously as she arrived.

Like Creed Bratton, Louanne plays a character with the same name as the actor.

Speculation on identity

Although there was no solid evidence to suggest it, many fans had originally linked her to possibly being Marjorie, a character mentioned in passing in the episode "The Fire".

It was originally believed that Louanne Kelley's name was simply Luanne, and her last name was unknown. However, it was discovered in 2019 that there is a frame on a pillar in the annex next to Louanne's desk that states "Special Award" and the award is dedicated to a "Louanne Kelley." While this frame appears in many seasons, it is often small and too hard to read. In "Livin' the Dream" however, a larger, clearer image of the award is shown, indicating that her name is indeed Louanne Kelley instead of Luanne.

Appearances

• "The Alliance" - in the background when Michael eats ice cream cake at Meredith's party
• "Hot Girl" - walking past the conference room in the background during Dwight's talking head, and working at her desk (B-roll) when Michael reflects on his employees.
• "Office Olympics" - observing several events, including "Horse"
• "The Fight" - leaving the office at the end of the day
• "The Secret" - cleaning her desk when Jim confesses his crush to Pam
• "The Carpet" - seen in multiple scenes. For example, when Jim goes to talk to Ryan, a brief, distorted voice can be heard when the door is open. Luanne is talking to Kelly, so it is presumably Louanne's voice.
• "Boys and Girls" - behind Dwight when he says, "They're gonna get on the same cycle."
• "Dwight's Speech"  - working at her desk when Pam and Jim are talking
• "Drug Testing" - working at her desk when Dwight talks to the nurse
• "Conflict Resolution" - working at her desk when Michael walks to the annex
• "The Coup"* - working at her desk when Dwight goes looking for Angela
• "Grief Counseling" - working at her desk when Michael comforts Kelly
• "A Benihana Christmas" - working at her desk when Toby feels Kevin's robe
• "Back From Vacation" - working at her desk when Pam enters the break room where Jim is sitting

* Deleted scene.

Gallery

Louanne at the end of "Hot Girl"

Louanne working at her desk in the middle of "Grief Counseling"

A screenshot of Louanne's award.