Michael Scott is undoubtedly one of the most-loved characters on the show The Office. His banter with his colleagues, his equations with Ryan and Pam, and above all, his iconic catchphrase, ‘that’s what she said’, make this character a memorable one.

The character had an unceremonious exit from the show because the actor, Steve Carrell, decided to leave the show to pursue other acting projects. However, that did nothing to dwindle the popularity of the character and Scott remains majorly loved to this day.

During the runtime of the show, fans of the series always had a doubt in their minds: Is Michael bisexual? Because, while he was outwardly obnoxious and homophobic, he still displayed copious amounts of affection towards his co-worker Ryan.

Was Michael Scott bisexual on “The Office”?

Michael often shows admiration and care for Ryan, more than just a normal work friendship. This includes comments about how good-looking he is and wanting to be in a love relationship with him.

While he is attracted to women and is shown flirting with them (especially Pam), he shares a borderline crush on Ryan, who is a temp in the office. This character, played by BJ Novak, is said to be ‘best friends’ with Michael, but in some (read many) instances, the latter is seen almost lusting after him.

“Man Crush” or Repression?

In fact, one could say that this relationship is one of the best running jokes of the show, where an otherwise straight character is shown to behave in a ‘gay’ fashion. Michael has not only openly stated that he would sleep with Ryan, but he has also chosen him as the hottest dude in the office, year after year. 

The internet seems to be quite divided on this one. While some netizens on Reddit and Quora feel that Michael may be dealing with his repressed sexuality (coping with feelings of shame by acting outrageously homophobic), others say that his admiration for Ryan is nothing but simply a ‘man crush’—an admiration for who Ryan is and who Michael wishes he himself could be.

Ryan was good-looking, confident, charming, and very good at communicating with women—everything that Michael thought he lacked. In the second set of viewers’ opinions, Michael wanted to emulate him—which was the source of his overt fondness towards Ryan.

Final Verdict

Since Michael is a fictional character and cannot confirm or deny any of the theories, it is safe to say that he is ‘whatever the viewer wants him to be.’ This part of his character is quite open to interpretation and can be bent in whichever direction a person pleases.

But be that as it may, one cannot deny that Scott and Ryan’s chemistry was one of the focal points of the show, and it was one of the many things in The Office that enthralled viewers and kept them glued to the show.

What do you think? Was Michael straight or bisexual? Let us know in the comments.