When Michael unintentionally outs a gay employee, he stumbles through a sensitivity mine-field. Also, we find out what happened with Jim and Pam.
WAR
50.7
Wins Above Replacement
“Gay Witch Hunt” ranks #57 of 183 The Office episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 81.1 — Elite. The episode packs 56 scored jokes at 3.0 per minute, averaging 6.8 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Michael landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Creed: I am not offended by homosexuality. In the '60s, I made love to many, many women. Often outdoors. In the mud and the rain. And it's possible a man slipped in. There would be no way of knowing.
Creed Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Dwight: False. I do not miss him.
Dwight Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Andy: He's always looking at the camera like this. What is that?
Andy Meta/Self-Referential Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Oscar: Kids, sometimes it pays to be gay.
Oscar Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive Andy: I went to Cornell. You ever heard of it? I graduated in four years, I never studied once, I was drunk the whole time, and I sang in the a capella group, 'Here comes Treble.'
Andy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 56 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Ryan: Which means, at my ten-year high school reunion, it will not say, 'Ryan Howard is a temp.' 'Ryan Howard is a junior sales associate at a mid-range paper supply firm.'
Ryan Cringe/Discomfort Observational ★ Rewatch Ryan Deadpan/Understatement Cringe/Discomfort Jim · Pam: You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that.
Jim Pam Reaction Beat Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Jim · Pam: I think we're just drunk. No, I'm not drunk. Are you drunk? No.
Jim Pam Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence ★ Rewatch Jim: You're really gonna marry him?
Jim Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Dwight: Jim is gone. He's gone. I miss him so much. Oh, I cry myself to sleep. Jim!
Dwight Character Comedy Absurdist Dwight: False. I do not miss him.
Dwight Callback Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: No, that is the fun of this place. I call everybody 'faggy.' Why would anyone find that offensive?
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: It wasn't just an action movie, it was 'Die Hard.'
Michael Character Comedy Observational Michael: You don't... you don't call retarded people retards. It's bad taste. You call your friends retards when they're acting retarded.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: I have been calling people faggy since I was in junior high, and I have never made this mistake.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: You know? I'm just- I-I can't even imagine- the... thing.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Awkward Silence Michael: Maybe we could go out for a beer sometime, and you could tell me... how you do that to another dude.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Oscar: That sounds like a great, wonderful idea. Let's do that.
Oscar Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Oscar Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Andy: Hey, Big Tuna. You're single, right?
Andy Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Andy: She's completely crazy.
Andy Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Andy: Steer clear, Big Tuna. Head for open waters.
Andy Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Jim: I ate a tuna sandwich on my first day... so Andy started calling me Big Tuna. I don't think any of them actually know my real name.
Jim Observational Deadpan/Understatement Callback Andy: I went to Cornell. You ever heard of it? I graduated in four years, I never studied once, I was drunk the whole time, and I sang in the a capella group, 'Here comes Treble.'
Andy Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Andy: He's always looking at the camera like this. What is that?
Andy Meta/Self-Referential Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Phyllis: Well, he's not dressed in women's clothes, so...
Phyllis Deadpan/Understatement Observational Michael: Hey, what about Angela? She's hard and severe. She could be a gay woman. I don't know. I can imagine her with another woman. Can't you?
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael · Dwight: Let's call him and get the website. What's gaydar? Oh, oh, gaydar, yes! No, uh, I think they have it at Sharper Image.
Michael · Dwight: It's sold out. Yeah, sorry about that. That's a bummer. Well, they're sold out. Damn. Try Brookstone.
Pam: Yeah, I didn't go through with the wedding. I got cold feet a few days before, and... I can't really explain it. I just had to get out of that relationship.
Pam Cringe/Discomfort Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Pam: and I have lunch for the next five weeks.
Pam Deadpan/Understatement Observational Kevin: I got them a toaster. They called off the wedding and gave the toaster back to me. I tried to return the toaster to the store, and they said they no longer sold that kind of toaster. So now my house has got two toasters.
Michael: It is so cool that you're gay. I totally underestimated you.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Oscar: Yes, I am super cool. I am an accountant at a failing paper supply company. In Scranton. Much like, uh, Sir Ian McKellen.
Oscar Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Oscar: Sure, sometimes I watch 'Will & Grace.' And I want to throw up. It's terribly loud. I do like it sometimes, when Harry Connick Jr. is on. He's so talented.
Oscar Observational Character Comedy Dwight: Okay. Who put my calculator in Jell-O?
Dwight Callback Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Dwight: I need to know who put my calculator in Jell-O or I'm gonna lose... my freakin' mind!
Dwight Escalation Character Comedy Michael · Jan: You know, it-it's amazing to me that in this day and age, you could be so... obtuse... a-about sexual orientation! I watch 'The L Word,' Okay? I watch 'Queer as [beep].' That's not what it's called.
Michael: Well, gay pride, right? Gay pride parade? It's not like... Gay Shame Festival.
Michael · Jan: Could Oscar and Angela be having a gay affair? No. Maybe. Is that what this is about? No. I don't. No. It's not possible. Anything's possible.
Michael: Well, I'm not gay, Jan, and you should know that better than anybody.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Michael: The company has made it my responsibility today to put an end to 100,000 years of being weirded out by gays.
Michael: Am I the first gay man you ever knew? Trick question. Because you can't always tell, so how would I know? Was that the right answer?
Michael Setup/Punchline Character Comedy Michael: You know what? Gay porn, straight porn, it's all good. I don't particularly get into this, but, uh... You know what? I totally see the merit. And, actually... It is quite beautiful.
Michael: Did you know that 'gay' used to mean 'happy'? When I was growing up, it meant 'lame.' And now it means a man who makes love to other men.
Michael Observational Cringe/Discomfort Michael: We're all homos. Homo sapiens.
Michael Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Michael: Oscar, why don't you take this opportunity to officially come out to everybody here, however you want to do it. Go ahead. Stand up. I'm doing this for you.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Creed: I am not offended by homosexuality. In the '60s, I made love to many, many women. Often outdoors. In the mud and the rain. And it's possible a man slipped in. There would be no way of knowing.
Creed Absurdist Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Michael: I bet a lot of straight men wished that applied to them. So they could go out there and have some torrid, unabashed, monkey sex.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Dwight · Michael: I think all the other office gays should identify themselves, or I will do it for them. No one else in this office is gay. What about Phyllis?
Michael: And frankly, kind of amazing. See? Everybody has a chance.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Phyllis · Michael: Of course, we all thought you were gay in high school. Yeah, right. Ha, ha! And I take that as a compliment.
Michael: I would be the most flamboyant gay you've ever seen. I would be leading the parade covered in feathers, and just... I'd be waving that rainbow flag.
Oscar: You're ignorant. And insulting. And small.
Oscar Escalation Character Comedy Michael: You know what? I'm gonna raise the stakes. I want you to watch this. And I want you to burn this into your brains. Because this is an image that I want you people to remember. For a long time to come.
Michael Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Michael: What is love, anyway? Maybe it's supposed to break all the rules. Like me and Jan. Or Oscar and some guy.
Michael Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Michael: That's what she said. Or he said.
Michael Callback Wordplay/Pun ★ Rewatch Callback Oscar: Kids, sometimes it pays to be gay.
Oscar Deadpan/Understatement Dark/Subversive ⏩ The part you fast-forward
Our scorer flagged 04:30-05:30 range with transitional material as the stretch with the fewest or weakest comedic moments. Everything else lands harder.
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