Baker announced on social media that he will be giving back all of the funds that fans sent for his proposed Stanley spinoff through Kickstarter. The precise amount of the refund is $110,629.81. Leslie David Baker, known for his portrayal of Stanley Hudson on NBC’s beloved sitcom “The Office,” shared this news with his followers.
In an effort to create a spinoff of “The Office” centered around Stanley Hudson, Baker went viral in 2020 by launching a Kickstarter campaign to help his nephew save a fledgling flower shop and support his retirement. The “Uncle Stan” project was launched with a crowdfunding goal of $300,000, and it ended up earning $336,450 by the end of its run in Los Angeles and Florida.
Following ongoing strikes and delays in Hollywood due to COVID, the project remained indefinitely stalled as Baker released a statement, saying that he would be returning the donated money. In recent weeks, some fans took to social media to question what Baker did with the money he received for his show “Uncle Stan,” which never reached its goal in the three years since its Kickstarter campaign.
In a written statement, Baker expressed, ‘We regret the tardiness in providing updates. We have been diligently working behind the scenes to ensure that everything is running smoothly and that rewards are being issued. We share the same level of enthusiasm as all of you in bringing this project to fruition and sincerely value your patience and support. The project exceeded our initial expectations in terms of duration, primarily because of circumstances that were out of our control.’
He explained that the delays in the initial stages were caused by the COVID lockdowns, which pushed us further back than expected. As a result, the WGA strike was announced, putting a hold on things again and causing us to start preproduction and fulfillment reward. However, we have now started returning to normal as an agreement has been reached. Despite this, we will continue to be on indefinite hold until the strike is resolved. In the meantime, we stand in solidarity with SAG and WGA, supporting them during these times and doing our part to support the entertainment industry.
Although the project is currently on hold indefinitely, Baker has made the decision to reimburse its supporters once the labor disputes are resolved, despite his continued intention to produce the show. Additionally, Baker assured that Kickstarter supporters will still receive their promised rewards and benefits.
Throughout this period, our team has consistently ensured the fulfillment of rewards, while maintaining regular communication with our supporters through direct messaging. We will also reach out to Kickstarter to help expedite this process. Rest assured, you will receive a notification once your refund is issued, and it will be delivered to you within the upcoming weeks. Baker expressed that considering the prevailing economic circumstances, we believed this to be the most suitable approach.