Jenna Fischer swore ‘Office’ co-star Angela Kinsey to secrecy about her breast cancer diagnosis
Jenna Fischer is revealing that her “Office” co-star and real-life best friend, Angela Kinsey, was her confidant throughout her secret breast cancer fight.
Fischer, 50, held back tears while discussing their special friendship in a sit-down interview with “Today” host Hoda Kotb about her cancer journey that aired on Monday.
The actress — who famously played Pam Beesly on “The Office” — broke her silence on her diagnosis earlier this month, revealing she began the private cancer battle last year. After undergoing a series of treatments, Fischer proudly declared she is now cancer-free.
While the star hid her diagnosis from the world for a year, she disclosed her health struggle with Kinsey and made her promise to keep it between them.
“From the beginning, she said, ‘Whatever you need. You tell me, I’m here.’ And I said, ‘I want to keep working, and I don’t want anyone to know at work. At work, I want that to be a space where we go and we laugh and I’m not a cancer patient. I need that.’ And she said, ‘Okay,'” Fischer told Kotb about her conversation with Kinsey.
She also shared that when her physical appearance began changing due to the treatment, Kinsey — known for playing Angela Martin on “The Office” — didn’t leave her hanging.
“And when I started to lose my hair, I would wear my hats with my hair coming out. We called them ‘wig hats,'” Fischer said. “And she started wearing hats to work so that I wouldn’t be the only person in a work meeting wearing a hat.”
When Kotb commented, “That’s love,” Fischer held back tears while responding, “Yeah — and it was amazing.”
However, Kinsey wasn’t the only celebrity Fischer confided in about her diagnosis.
The actress also told Kotb that she called fellow breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate after learning the news.
“I called her, and she answered the phone, and she said, ‘Which one is it?’ And I said, ‘It’s breast cancer.’ And she said, ‘I effing knew it,'” she recalled their conversation during the interview with Kotb — who also beat breast cancer.
“She’s salty. Salty language that one. I love her for it,” Fischer joked.
“The Office” star opened up about her journey in an Instagram post on Oct. 8 in honor of breast cancer awareness month.
“Last December, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer. After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free,” she shared in part.
Fischer gave Kinsey a shout-out in her announcement, telling her followers, “I wanted a photo of myself in my patchy pixie looking happy and healthy to go along with this news. A big thank you to Angela Kinsey’s husband Josh Snyder for taking this photo. It’s just one example of the care they showed me during this journey.”
Kinsey responded to her co-star’s post, writing, “I love you and I’m so glad you’re sharing. I got your back, always.”
Fischer is married to her husband, director Lee Kirk, who she wed in 2010. The couple has two kids: son Weston Lee and daughter Harper Marie.