Nick Offerman blasts Ben Shapiro over ‘insane’ critique of The Last of Us’ gay storyline

Nick Offerman has finally caught up with Ben Shapiro’s much-ridiculed critique of The Last of Us, more than three years after the right-wing commentator shared his thoughts. Offerman starred opposite The White Lotus breakout Murray Bartlett in a standalone episode of HBO’s critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama adaptation released in 2023. The episode, titled “Long, Long Time,” shifts focus from main characters Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to a tender love story between survivors Bill and Frank.

The role won Offerman an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, while the episode itself was lauded as one of the greatest in modern television history. Nevertheless, the episode faced a wave of homophobic backlash. Shapiro was among those who criticized the episode’s focus, complaining on his podcast at the time: “The entire episode has no zombies, no real threat, and it is about two gay dudes who meet and have a relationship, in which one grows strawberries for the other, and then they die.” “There’s gay Ron Swanson, and it’s complete with sex scenes and the whole thing,” he said, referencing Offerman’s famous Parks and Recreation character.

Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Offerman added that while he hadn’t watched any of Shapiro’s videos, he had heard about his criticism and included it on one of his music tours.

Shapiro faced widespread mockery for his take at the time, with one person summing up on social media: “Ben Shapiro’s media literacy is so low he doesn’t realize The Last of Us isn’t about zombies.” The Last of Us — based on the hit PlayStation games of the same name — aired its second season in April, 2025, averaging 37 million viewers within two months. A third season is expected to air in 2027. Meanwhile, Offerman is up for two Primetime Emmy Awards next week: Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for Netflix’s Death by Lightning, and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Margo’s Got Money Troubles.

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