Rainn Wilson Hopes Fans ‘Cool It’ with ‘The Office’ Jell-O Jokes (Exclusive)

Rainn Wilson is ready to say goodbye to The Office Jell-O pranks.

While speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at Homeboy Industries’ Lo Maximo 2024 Awards Dinner on Saturday, April 27, Wilson, 58, discussed a recent photo he posted showing his room service cutlery arriving encased in red Jell-O during a trip to Florence, Italy.

The Jell-O joke first started almost 20 years ago with the pilot episode of The Office, which aired in 2005, showed his character Dwight Schrute’s coworker Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) encasing his stapler in the sweet treat. 

Revealing he’s now fearful the Florence joke will become a regular occurrence, Wilson told PEOPLE, “I posted that thing on Instagram about my silverware and Jell-O in Italy. My fear is that I won’t be able to go anywhere without stuff being put in Jell-O.” 

“I’ll go valet park, and then my car keys will be in Jell-O. And I’ll go to a baseball game, and the baseball will be in Jell-O. And the list goes on and on. So I hope people cool it with the Jell-O jokes. That’s all. Unless it’s edible. I will eat my weight in Jell-O,” he joked at the Homeboy Industries event, that was held at the JW Marriott in Downtown Los Angeles.

It seems like Wilson might be over any pranks tied to his Office character Dwight, telling PEOPLE, “I think it’s time to move on.”

Wilson posted a snap of the Florence room service prank on April 22, writing in the caption, “This is what happened when I ordered room service at my hotel in Florence… @plazahotellucchesi,” with the image showing his cutlery inaccessible on the table next to his meal.

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“Haha!!! That is so wonderful and funny! ❤ 😂,” Ed Helms, who played Andy Bernard in the hit sitcom, commented on the post. “I hope you left a giant tip (in jello!)!”

Kate Flannery, who starred as Meredith Palmer, also wrote, “❤️❤️❤️❤️.”

Actors including Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, and Brian Baumgartner also featured in the beloved show.

The Office can be streamed in full on Peacock.