Nick Offerman slams homophobic Ron Swanson meme: 'Ron was best man at a gay wedding'
Nick Offerman has no time for homophobic Ron Swanson memes.
The actor, 54, took to X to call out a post from Michael Flynn Jr., son of former national security advisor Michael Flynn, that used his "Parks and Recreation" character to express opposition to Pride Month. Flynn's post included a clip of Ron Swanson throwing a computer in the trash, but with a rainbow flag superimposed over the computer. "Just wanted to post how I feel about 'pride' month," Flynn wrote.
In response, Offerman slammed Flynn as "dumb," while pointing out that Ron Swanson "was best man at a gay wedding." The Emmy-winning actor added, "#HappyPride."
In the series finale of "Parks and Recreation," which aired in 2015, Ron serves as best man in his hairdresser Typhoon's (Rodney To) wedding to Craig (Billy Eichner). An earlier episode had shown that Ron took an instant liking to Typhoon after being introduced to him by his colleague Donna (Retta).
This isn't Offerman's first time calling out homophobia.
In 2023, the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" actor starred in an acclaimed episode of "The Last of Us" as Bill, a gruff survivalist who falls in love with Frank, played by Murray Bartlett. Speaking with i News, Offerman shared that he received "a lot of homophobic hate" about the episode via social media, despite critics hailing it as a highlight of the season.
"I was kinda fascinated by how openly people will express hate and brand themselves as bigots," he told the outlet. "I kept thinking: 'We can see you!'"
When Offerman won a Film Independent Spirit Award for the role in 2024, he called out this homophobic hate in his speech.
"When homophobic hate comes my way and says, 'Why did you have to make it a gay story?' we say, 'Because you ask questions like that,'" he said, adding, "It's not a gay story, it's a love story."