Nick Offerman has responded to conservative commentator Ben Shapiro's criticism of his role in HBO's "The Last of Us," playfully mocking the pundit's "insane" reaction to the show's depiction of a gay relationship.
In a recent appearance on the podcast "Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso," Offerman addressed a clip of Shapiro's 2023 commentary on the episode titled "Long, Long Time." In the episode, Offerman plays Bill, a survivalist who forms a relationship with another survivor, Frank, played by Murray Bartlett. The episode received critical acclaim but also drew negative reviews online.
Shapiro, on his podcast, characterized the relationship as a libertarian character resembling Offerman's "Parks and Recreation" persona, Ron Swanson, who is portrayed as gay in "The Last of Us." Shapiro described the plot as focusing on "two gay dudes who meet and have a relationship in which one grows strawberries for the other and then they die," and questioned the show's narrative in the context of a zombie apocalypse.
Offerman recounted reading Shapiro's remarks, which he said inspired a joke during one of his tours. He stated he would preface a song by saying, "I was going to write a joke about this, but Ben Shapiro questioned my masculinity and I can’t write a better joke than that."
Offerman expressed disbelief at Shapiro's reaction, telling Fragoso, "Holy shit. First of all, was it necessary to do that at 1.5 times speed? I mean, that poor guy. That’s crazy." He added, "That’s the most Ben Shapiro I’ve ever seen. And there’s a very good reason for that."
The actor, known for his roles often associated with "machismo," also commented on Shapiro's perceived lack of understanding, noting that the pundit got "eight things wrong in his recap besides his rampant homophobia." Offerman emphasized his ability to embrace diverse roles and understand different perspectives, stating, "I can split wood and change a truck tire and also can do that episode of ‘The Last of Us’ and understand that it’s all just good work."