Craig Robinson might have committed to the bit too hard.
The Office actor announced earlier this month that he was retiring from comedy, only to eventually reveal that it was all an elaborate ruse as part of an AT&T marketing campaign. Robinson’s lie was so convincing, however, that he tells Entertainment Weekly that it genuinely fooled people close to him.
Robinson visited the EW’s San Diego Comic-Con Studio on Saturday alongside his The Bad Guys 2 castmates. When asked if his bit had fooled anyone he knows, Robinson responds, “A thousand percent. Everybody.”
He continues, “My father was like, ‘What’s this going on?’ I was like, ‘I’ll call you back, Dad.’ ‘Cause I didn’t wanna tell him.”
Robinson then takes a moment to clarify his status in the comedy world. “I’m not quitting. I’m back!” he says. “You’re welcome. Yes, Dad. Dad, I’m still in comedy.”
The comedian’s Bad Guys 2 costar, Marc Maron, chimes in, “How’d it feel with that day off?” (Robinson actually maintained the lie for about 10 days.)
“What you’re saying is, it was a joke?” fellow Bad Guys 2 cast member Natasha Lyonne adds.
“It was a nice, relaxing,” Robinson says. “It was a re-shift in focus.”
Robinson initially announced that he was “quitting comedy” to begin “following something bigger,” and hinted that he was planning on starting a small business. (We immediately called that claim into question, as the comedian still had a number of live shows planned throughout 2025.)
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Later, Robinson revealed the full scope of his scheme, which ended with an AT&T Business commercial that reunited him with his Office costars Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Creed Bratton and Oscar Nuñez. The ad sees Robinson reveal his new project, CraigAI (or “CrAIg”), an AI alarm clock that he wants to sell to “help small businesses wake up”
The Bad Guys 2 also stars Sam Rockwell, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, and Zazie Beetz. The film hits theaters on Aug. 1.
Watch the livestream of EW’s San Diego Comic-Con video interviews below.
Check out more of EW’s coverage from San Diego Comic-Con 2025.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
