Former high school prankster turned TV star, B.J. Novak, can breathe a sigh of relief now that a Boston museum has wiped his record clean. Known for his stint on the hit series "The Office," Novak was officially pardoned by the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston for an old high school gag. "We hereby proclaim B.J. Novak officially pardoned for the elaborate prank he pulled at the MFA in high school," museum officials announced in a Facebook post Monday.
Before Novak went on to play the smug paper company staffer Ryan Howard, he was a regular teen causing mischief. Back in 1997, the Newton native tampered with the audio guides of an MFA exhibition titled "Tales From the Land of Dragons: 1,000 Years of Chinese Painting." The prank left "countless innocent visitors" scratching their heads, a detail that the MFA humorously acknowledged on Instagram, "the prank 'both confused countless innocent visitors' and showed the museum 'that even the pettiest and most sophomoric pranksters among us can leave an impact on a historic institution,'" according to MassLive.
The act of adolescent rebellion was revisited at an event held on March 1, where Novak and his high school pal Amir Dehestani were welcomed to share stories from their youth. His 'pardon' came during an appearance as part of the Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lecture Series at the museum. It was gathered from the crowd's response that the MFA was not just acknowledging a prank from the past, but embracing a local celebrity who has since contributed to the arts in a more widely appreciated manner.
This "pardoning" appears to be part of a larger trend where cultural institutions are engaging with popular figures to create unique conversations around art and community. The MFA's decision to publicly forgive Novak not only brings closure to a decades-old incident but also highlights how even a sophomoric joke can, in time, evolve into a celebrated anecdote. With Novak back in the good graces of the MFA, it seems that the museum has chosen to lean into the lighter side of art history, a move that has clearly delighted fans and attendees alike.
