Nick Offerman slams 'homophobic hate' for his 'Last of Us' episode

Nick Offerman is going off on homophobic backlash to "The Last of Us."

The "Parks and Recreation" star on Sunday won the Film Independent Spirit Award for best supporting performance in a new scripted series for the HBO show, an adaptation of the video game. In the episode "Long, Long Time," Offerman and Murray Bartlett star as Bill and Frank, two men who fall in love and share a life together in a post-apocalyptic world.

Though the episode received widespread critical acclaim, it also attracted some homophobic comments online, which Offerman pushed back on 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."

Offerman also won the Emmy for best guest actor in a drama series for his episode of "The Last of Us." In an acceptance speech in January, the actor thanked HBO for "continuing to produce wildly entertaining programs like this that arc towards decency and inclusivity."

In an interview with i News last year, Offerman discussed receiving homophobic backlash for the episode on social media, saying he is "fascinated by how openly people will express hate and brand themselves as bigots."

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Another episode of "The Last of Us" depicted a romance between two female characters, played by Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid, the latter of whom won the Emmy for best guest actress in a drama series. Reid told Entertainment Weekly she wasn't concerned about the response to the episode.

"If you don't like it, don't watch," she said. "We are telling important stories. We're telling stories of people's experiences, and that's what I live for. That's what makes good storytelling, because we are telling stories of people who are taking up space in the world."

The characters of Bill and Frank both existed in the first "Last of Us" game, released in 2013, although it was not as explicit that they were romantic partners. "Last of Us" co-creator Neil Druckmann told The Hollywood Reporter that when making the game, on which he served as creative director, "(The subtlety is) what helped get it in. It's sad to say, but it would have been controversial otherwise."

But "The Last of Us" video games have also attracted their share of negativity online, especially "The Last of Us Part II," which depicts Ramsey's character, Ellie, in a relationship with a woman and also features a trans character. Speaking to GQ last year, Ramsey said they're "not particularly anxious about" the backlash the show may receive for adapting these stories beginning in its second season.

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“I know people will think what they want to think," they said. "But they're gonna have to get used to it. If you don't want to watch the show because it has gay storylines, because it has a trans character, that's on you, and you’re missing out."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Last of Us' star Nick Offerman slams 'homophobic hate'