Nick Offerman responded to criticism from Ben Shapiro regarding his role in HBO’s “The Last of Us,” calling Shapiro’s comments “crazy” and highlighting what he perceived as homophobia.
Offerman addressed a video of Shapiro discussing the episode “Long, Long Time,” which focused on a love story between two men amidst a zombie apocalypse. Shapiro described the episode as centering on “two gay dudes who meet and have a relationship…and then they die,” and noted Offerman “likes to nail dudes” in the episode, adding, “There’s gay Ron Swanson, and it’s complete with sex scenes.” Shapiro also commented on the characters’ decision to commit suicide, framing it as “Romeo and Romeo.”
Offerman, appearing on the “Talk Easy With Sam Fragoso” podcast, reacted to the video, stating, “Holy shit… that’s crazy. That’s the most Ben Shapiro I’ve ever seen, and there’s a very good reason for that.” He further criticized Shapiro’s understanding of the episode, saying, “I’m embarrassed for his reading comprehension. I think he got eight things wrong in his recap, besides his rampant homophobia.”
Offerman previously discussed dealing with online backlash to his work in a Variety interview, stating he ignores “Twitter trolls, the sadness of Elon Musk and his minions,” and instead focuses on values instilled by his parents. He acknowledged receiving hateful messages for playing a gay character, calling it a “pattern” that is “laughable and sad, but also just humiliating.”
Offerman won an Emmy and an Independent Spirit Award for his performance in “The Last of Us.” At the Independent Spirit Awards, he responded to criticism of the gay romance by stating, “It’s not a gay story it’s a love story, you asshole!”
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