Jenna Fischer was so quaintly iconic in her role as Pam Halpert on NBC's The Office that it's always a little shocking to see her dressed in anything that isn't cool for a workplace setting. Of course, when someone walks out for a late night interview dressed from the waist up in just a bath towel, that's going to shock just about anyone. Fischer did just that when she popped out for her interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but as she explained to Jimmy Kimmel, she had a perfectly good reason for doing so:
Ever a trooper, Jenna Fischer wasn't about to let a wardrobe malfunction like a broken zipper get in the way of her interview promoting her new ABC series Splitting Up Together, and she strutted out on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! stage to have a chat in a fashionably tied (and censor-friendly) bath towel. Jimmy Kimmel, who was surprised at first, quickly found a way to work it into the conversation, which led to the discussion about a hypothetical scenario where they're at a destination wedding and just ran into each other at a spa. The fashion faux pas resulted in a great segment, and it was definitely a late night moment that Jimmy Kimmel Live! viewers will not soon wipe clean from their minds.
Jenna Fischer's decision to conduct her interview wrapped in a towel was a bold one, to be sure, but was it completely necessary? Sure, the dress was broken, and as Fischer told Jimmy Kimmel, she had put it on far too late to get the zipper fixed, but what had she worn to the set that day? Fischer had jeans on underneath the towel, so the chances are seemingly high that she had a shirt on deck and ready to rock. Unless she just showed up in a towel, because sometimes, that's just the kind of day you're having.
Of course, non-entertainment folks can't always be sure what the protocol is for dress codes on late night television, and it's possible Jenna Fischer previously had on a shirt with a polarizing message, or even something as subtle as a Nike logo that could potentially swoosh up a shit storm with the program's advertisers. And if nothing else, Fischer's "towel blouse" served as an engaging talking point, drawing a lot of praise on social media for her style snafu, as evidenced by her modeling the outfit on Instagram:
Will Jenna Fischer become the next fashion-forward celebrity to set the world on fire with her bath towel-inspired threads, possibly with a follow-up line of shower caps? Probably not, although stranger fashion trends have taken off over the years. More likely than not, the interview will be remembered as a highlight of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and hopefully any Roseanne fans who saw this interview will stick around after the classic sitcom's revival to see Fischer's new comedy series Splitting Up Together. With exposure like that, maybe the only designer that celebrities need in their lives going forward is Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Jimmy Kimmel Live! airs on ABC weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET. Jenna Fischer's new comedy Splitting Up Together also airs on ABC, on Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET. For a look at new shows coming in 2018, be sure to check out CinemaBlend's midseason premiere guide and summer premiere guide.
