O'Neal's departure from
The Office wasn't immediately obvious because he wasn't part of the main cast, but after a full season without him, viewers began to question where Lonny went. In an interview with
Red Line Radio, Craig Robinson told the hosts,
"He didn't give a f**k about Hollywood or The Office. Matter of fact, they were like, 'Craig, can you get in touch with Patrice? We have checks for him.' It was the most hysterical thing.... Like he knew he was funnier than anyone who could write for him. So I think he had a problem with someone lesser than trying to tell him what was funny. He was awesome, but he didn't give a damn about [Hollywood], about being out there. But he didn't want it. He wanted to be in New York."
From Craig's comments, it's clear that O'Neal was an individualist when it came to his comedy. This tracks, considering
O'Neal did not often appear in films and TV shows, save for a few examples. If he did end up appearing on TV, he was usually playing himself or was participating in a host capacity.