During his guest spot with Shepard (via YouTube), Novak was asked why he opted out of one more go-round with "The Office." Turns out, he was going through some of the same things that many people do when they take on too much at work. "I was burnt out," he told Shepard. "Mindy [Kaling] had left. [Steve] Carell had left. And they wanted a new showrunner and they asked if I would want to do that and I couldn't imagine it. And I also couldn't imagine just hanging around without it. And I just couldn't do it anymore. I didn't have the love."
For his part, series co-creator and fellow writer Greg Daniels — who actually hired Novak for the show — did his best to dissuade the actor from leaving. "How can I keep you here?" he said, as relayed by Novak, who responded, "Sometimes you just know when it's time."
Although he had reached the end of the rope at the time, Novak continues to look back fondly on his "Office" experience. Moreover, he wishes he would have taken the time to smell the roses before his tenure ended. "One of my biggest regrets was not enjoying any of it as much as I should have, now that I look back," he said. "And people say, 'Wasn't that incredible?'
"Like, you're never going to get that again — Steve Carell in the room, John [Krasinski], Jenna [Fischer], Rainn [Wilson], those writers — like it'll never happen again."
