Yahoo News The Office 's Leslie David Baker returns Kickstarter money for stalled Uncle Stan spin-off
Those itching for a Stanley Hudson Office spin-off will have to keep on scratching as the actor who portrayed Dunder Mifflin's resident Eeyore is returning the Kickstarter money he raised for Uncle Stan.
In a post to social media, Leslie David Baker announced he would be refunding $110,629.81 in donations as production on Uncle Stan has yet to go under way despite having reached the fundraising goal.
Uncle Stan would've followed Stanley as he begrudgingly comes out of retirement in Florida to help his hapless nephew in Los Angeles raise two kids and run a motorcycle/flower shop. Hilarity, of course, ensues.
Chris Haston/NBC/Courtesy Everett Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson on 'The Office'
Baker announced the Kickstarter campaign in 2020 with a goal of $300,000, which it exceeded, bringing in $336,450 in pledged donations. However, three years later and there's been no news of the show, and so fans on Twitter called out Baker, alleging he "scammed" people out of their money.
"We apologize about the delay in updates," Baker wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. "We have been working behind the scenes to get everything on track and rewards fulfilled. We are just as excited as all of you to get this project out and truly appreciate all of your patience and support. The project took longer than anticipated due to circumstances beyond our control."
Baker cited COVID lockdowns for the initial delays, adding that the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes further impeded progress on the proposed show.
"[W]e will continue to be on hold indefinitely until an agreement is reached," Baker wrote. "We stand in solidarity with those in the entertainment industry and will do our part in supporting WGA and SAG during these times."
Baker still intends to make Uncle Stan once the strikes are resolved and noted that Kickstarter fan rewards and perks will still be met. As for the discrepancy between the donations and the refund, Baker explained that a "large portion of backers' pledges were lowered, or completely dropped and never collected once the campaign was completed," with the final amount totaling "exactly $110,629.81."
He added, "The funds were never used for any purposes other than reward fulfillment and backer refunds, and have otherwise remained accounted for and untouched in the account."
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