On NBC's The Office, Jim Halpert first met Karen Filippelli when he transferred to the Stamford branch of Dunder-Mifflin. When the two branches merged, Karen went to work at the Scranton branch. She dated Jim for quite some time, making Pam Beesly quite uncomfortable. Karen Filippelli is a sales representative with the fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin, first at the Stamford branch, later at the Scranton branch.Karen was a sales representative at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper and office-supply company. She originally worked at the company's branch in Stamford, Connecticut but transferred to the Scranton branch after her boss, Josh Porter, left in order to take an upper-management job at Staples. She is of mixed heritage, including Italian ("The Merger"), although her exact racial makeup has not been fully revealed. She has spoken a little French ("Grief Counseling") and Chinese (deleted scene from "Gay Witch Hunt"), but her degree of fluency has yet to be revealed. She prefers wearing trousers at the office rather than dresses or skirts. Her favorite chips are Herr's, salt and vinegar flavor.

In her free time, she enjoys playing first person shooter PC games (which were popular at the now-defunct Stamford branch). Her Call of Duty screen name is "KarenTheJimSlayer" and she plays on the British side. She drives a silver Isuzu Rodeo.

Karen becomes friends with Pam Beesly, but their camaraderie is threatened by her worry about Jim Halpert's feelings for Pam. She abruptly quits after Jim breaks up with her.

• Pam vs. Karen
• Official NBC site
• The Office Quotes
• Dunderball: An Office Fansite