On Tuesday, “The Office” actor and comedian Steve Carell had a message for Altadena high school seniors:
“I work with a wonderful charity based out of Virginia called Alice’s Kids, and Alice’s Kids wanted me to let you know that they will paying for all of your prom tickets,” Carell says in a selfie-style video, with a deadpan delivery. “If you’ve already paid for your prom tickets, they will reimburse you for your prom tickets.”
The video played in front of about 800 high school seniors across six schools at an assembly on Tuesday, including Aveson Charter, Blair, Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Rose City, and Pasadena High Schools. Alice’s Kids also uploaded the video of the actor to X.
The nonprofit subsequently uploaded videos of the reactions to the announcement, showing benefitting students cheering and clapping. In one video, a student is moved to tears.
“We’re grateful to Steve Carrell and Alice’s Kids for the generous donation of prom tickets for our high school seniors in the wake of the Eaton Fire that devastated our community,” Pasadena Unified School District Superintendent Elizabeth J. Blanco said. “It’s more than a ticket – it represents hope, resilience, and the assurance that, as seniors end their high school years, the wider community cares about them.”
The Virginia-based nonprofit raises money to pay for school-aged children who cannot afford school-related items and services, like sports equipment or field trip fees.
All six schools have students who were impacted by the Eaton Fire, which ravaged through the Altadena community and created an unprecedented amount of destruction in its wake in January. Both the Eaton and Palisades Fire displaced nearly 150,000 residents and left 29 dead, making them two of the county’s most destructive wildfires.
In the wake of the fires, Alice’s Kids’ Executive Director Ron Fitzimmons canvassed local schools to see which ones were in need of the most assistance. The six schools will receive a $175,000 donation that will go toward the cost of prom tickets.
Alice’s Kids told X users they were told the high school seniors knew of Carell through movies like “Despicable Me” and TV shows like “The Office,” which many binged while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Similarly, Carell’s character on “The Office,” Michael Scott, launched a program called “Scott’s Tots” promising third-graders they would pay for their college tuition if they graduated from high school, but he was ultimately unable to fullfill his promise.
“Have fun, enjoy the prom, and remember, this is Steve Carell,” the actor said in the video.
This time, Carell wasn’t joking.