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Entertainment
Karina Babenok

Rainn Wilson Faces More Backlash For Controversial Interviews With Billie Eilish And Others

Rainn Wilson, who recently came under fire after being exposed for his seemingly rude exchange with Liah Yoo, the founder and CEO of KraveBeauty, is sparking new controversy. After facing significant backlash for cutting Liah off while she was trying to order one of his vegan hot dogs a handful of questionable interviews with Rainn resurfaced, painting a pretty negative image of The Office star.

Andra Berghoff took to her popular Hope You Find Your Dad TikTok page on Friday (October 4) to expose instances where Rainn behaved in ways that appeared to confirm rumors that he was somewhat ill-mannered.

In a video, which has since amassed 1.3 million views, Andra said: “I wanna talk about it cause he’s a celebrity that I keep trying to like, cause like, it’s Dwight from The Office, right? 

“But he just keeps making it really difficult for me. I keep getting strange vibes from him.”

Rainn Wilson recently came under fire for his seemingly rude exchange with Liah Yoo, the founder and CEO of KraveBeauty

Image credits: rainnwilson

Andra went on to highlight YouTube star Trisha Paytas’ recent appearance on Rainn’s podcast, Soul Boom, in which Trisha opened up about mental health but was met with certain insensitive responses from Rainn.

“He always comes off as a little bit, like, pompous and almost desperate to prove himself,” Andra criticized.

Andra went on to point out an interview with Bobbi Althoff on The Really Good Podcast, from January 2024.

Image credits: liahyoo

“I thought he was just trying to match her energy,” the TikToker said. “I did note that at many points he was just like straight-up rude.”

She went on to refer to a moment in the interview where Rainn told Bobbie that “no one watches your podcast besides little girls online.”

“I really do keep wanting to like him because it’s Dwight from The Office and we have to give him credit,” Andra said. “He’s doing good things with his platform and his free time, but it is giving like your time in the spotlight is up dude, and I think it’s for the best.”

Nevertheless, Rainn is sparking new controversy

Image credits: Soul Boom w/ Rainn Wilson

A handful of people agreed, as a TikTok user recalled: “When I was in college during Covid, we had a pep talk via Zoom. 

“We were all excited but the disclaimer was we couldn’t ask anything from The Office. That completely made all the students scared to even say hi. 

“The following semester we had the same opportunity and this time one of the students mentioned The Office briefly and he was so mad. He gave weird vibes.”

Image credits: Soul Boom w/ Rainn Wilson

A person commented: “This makes me sad, I loved him.”

Someone penned: “He’s from a different generation so he may not be as sensitive to topics like millennials or Gen Z would be and his humor is just different.”

“Doesn’t want to be known for The Office and yet failed to do anything else,” a netizen argued. “His own fault, not our fault he can’t act!”

 A 2020 interview with Billie Eilish and the actor resurfaced

Image credits: billboard

A separate individual chimed in: “I think he just doesn’t see content creators as importantly as content creators do.”

Other commentators remembered an interview in August, in which Rainn positioned himself on equal footing with Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad’s protagonist. 

In the segment, Rainn complained about how fans constantly pestered him by bringing up his role as Dwight, assuming Bryan would commiserate about his iconic role as Walter White, We Got This Covered reported on Sunday (October 6).

Image credits: billboard

However, Bryan went on to express nothing but love and gratitude for the recognition, stating how much he “loved it.” The 68-year-old actor further revealed that he appreciated being recognized as Hal from Malcolm in the Middle.

As a result of these newfound accusations of Rainn perpetuating a hostile attitude towards other people, especially women, a 2020 interview with Billie Eilish and the actor resurfaced.

Billie, who is a self-described die-hard The Office fan, fumbled with some questions directed at Rainn.

An interview with Bobbi Althoff on The Really Good Podcast from January 2024 ignited heated debates

Image credits: Bobbi Althoff

The 58-year-old subsequently unleashed a verbal smackdown, telling the Grammy Awards winner to “move on” and find a new show to obsess over. 

Last year, Rainn opened up about his insecurities and his dissatisfaction with being tied to the character of Dwight, telling Variety: “When I was in The Office, I spent several years really mostly unhappy because it wasn’t enough.

“I’m realizing now, like, I’m on a hit show, Emmy nominated every year, making lots of money, working with Steve Carell and Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski and these amazing writers and incredible directors like Paul Feig. 

Image credits: Bobbi Althoff

“I’m on one of the great TV shows. People love it. I wasn’t enjoying it. I was thinking about, ‘Why am I not a movie star?

“‘Why am I not the next Jack Black or the next Will Ferrell? 

“How come I can’t have a movie career? Why don’t I have this development deal?’”

Rainn was accused of perpetuating a hostile attitude towards other people, especially women

Image credits: Pete Holmes

Andra’s viral TikTok comes after Rainn was exposed for engaging in a seemingly “bizarre” interaction with content creator Liah Yoo on September 23.

In a viral video, Liah explained how she had met Rainn during New York City Climate Week, an event that promotes climate action by appealing to business leaders, political change makers, local decision-makers, and civil society representatives.

At the time of filming Liah’s clip, Rainn was running his Vegan On The Fly NYC food truck in Union Square, New York City, USA.

Image credits: Pete Holmes

The eatery serves vegan and vegetarian food and presents its items under lengthy names intended to educate customers on the climate crisis.

Some of Vegan On The Fly NYC’s offers on its menu include vegan hot dogs called “The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet and getting hotter everyday ketchup and mustard,” and “two-thirds of U.S. adults say the country should prioritize developing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, rather than expanding production of oil, coal, and natural gas ketchup and mustard.”

Safe to say that a single order may leave a customer out of breath. But Liah’s experience placing an order proved to be itself even more challenging after Rainn kept interrupting her.

Rainn positioned himself on equal footing with Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad’s protagonist

Image credits: Soul Boom w/ Rainn Wilson

“I just don’t know if I was treated badly because [of] my interaction that I had with him, that was my only interaction,” Liah recalled of the event.

In the video, Liah showed the moment she approached Rainn in his food truck to order a “If the fashion industry were a country, it would be one of the world’s largest carbon emitters, responsible for a staggering 10% of global carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined! ketchup and mustard” vegan hot dog.

Upon approaching the actor-turned-restaurateur for the day and introducing herself, Rainn immediately snapped back: “I don’t need your name, I just need your order. Why did you feel like you needed to tell me your name?”

Image credits: Soul Boom w/ Rainn Wilson

Liah, visibly uncomfortable, attempted multiple times to order the lengthy “fashion industry” treat, but could never finish placing her order as Rainn continuously cut her off with random questions about her life and profession.

“I think Rainn is a really smart person and part of his humor is messing with people,” a reader commented

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