Steve Carell nods to 'The Office' storyline, surprising L.A. students with news their prom is free after fires

Yahoo

06-03-2025

The horror of Scott's Tots is hard to forget, but Steve Carell is now done a good deed to erase that painful memory.
The Office star recently teamed up with Alice's Kids, a charity that provides financial assistance to children in need, to announce a free prom for hundreds of California students.
In a video posted to the charity's Instagram page, Carell surprised the students of six Southern California schools, telling them that Alice's Kids will be paying for their entries to the senior dance.
"Attention. Attention, all seniors," the actor began in his classic mock-serious tone. "This is Steve Carell with a very special announcement. I work with a wonderful charity based out of Virginia called Alice's Kids. And Alice's Kids wanted me to let you know that they will be paying for all of your prom tickets, and if you have already paid for your prom tickets, they will reimburse you for your prom tickets."
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He added, "It's a pretty good deal."
The news comes after the Los Angeles area was ravaged by wildfires that destroyed more than 16,000 homes, businesses, and other structures and took the lives of at least 29 people in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and Altadena area. Several school campuses were scorched, upending the lives of students, teachers, and parents.
Alice's Kids plans to cover the cost of prom for more than 800 students, assuring their chance to attend the annual high school rite of passage. The endeavor will cost about $175,000, as tickets typically range from $100 to $150 each.
Carell closed out the video by telling the teens, "Have fun. Enjoy the prom, and remember… this is Steve Carell. Take it easy, guys."
Carell's video popped up on the charity's social media page, and it was shown in the participating schools.
A spokesperson for Alice's Kids told PEOPLE that the organization chose Carell to announce the news not just because he is a longtime donor to the charity, but because it would be extra special for the students if it came from him.
"For some reason, someone mentioned that the kids 'love' Steve Carell. It seems they got 'hooked' on The Office during COVID, and they also know him from Despicable Me," Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of Alice's Kids, said in a statement. "Now, Steve and [his wife] Nancy have been big supporters of ours for years, so I came up with the idea of having Steve announce the free tickets in senior assemblies. I asked if he would do a video and he sent it to me within hours! Every assembly played the video."
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He continued, "I know from personal experience that many kids just need a lift. They need a pat on the back with someone telling them that things will be okay. The prom is a rite of passage, and so many kids would not have been able to pay the approximately $150 fee. We were thrilled to lift them up and let them have a party."
Carell's involvement in the charitable act also serves as a sort of callback to the beloved — if incredibly uncomfortable — season 6 episode of The Office titled "Scott's Tots." In it, attention-seeking Dunder Mifflin manager Michael Scott (Carell) pledges to pay the college tuition for a group of underprivileged third-graders. But when those "tots" become high school seniors, Michael must break the news to them that he lacks the funds to actually fulfill his promise.
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Thankfully, Michael Scott was nowhere near this endeavor — and Alice's Kids has these kids covered.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly