Not only does Nick Offerman not have any time or patience for homophobia, but he also wants viewers to know that Ron Swanson, his conservative “Parks and Recreation” character, doesn’t either.
Michael Flynn Jr., a self-described “patriot” and the son of retired United States Army lieutenant general and former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn, tweeted Monday an edited GIF of Swanson throwing a Pride flag into a dumpster with the caption, “Just wanted to post how I feel about ‘pride’ month.”
The tweet drew a sharp response from Offerman himself, who coldly reminded Flynn, “Ron was best man at a gay wedding you dumb f—k. #HappyPride”
Ron was best man at a gay wedding you dumb fuck. #HappyPride https://t.co/mSlELkUvDY
— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) June 2, 2025
In “Parks and Recreation,” Swanson is a staunch but sensible conservative who occasionally gets in political disagreements with his progressive coworker, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), but who does not let his personal beliefs ever get in the way of his personal relationships. In the original version of the scene featured in Flynn Jr.’s GIF, Ron does not angrily throw away a Pride flag but a computer after he discovers its invasive privacy settings.
As Offerman notes, the “Parks and Recreation” finale, titled “One Last Ride,” reveals that Ron happily served as the best man for his hairdresser, Typhoon (Rodney To), at his wedding to Craig Middlebrooks (Billy Eichner). It is, therefore, hard to imagine Ron having any issue with Pride Month or its celebrations of the LGBTQ community. He may be a proud capitalist, but Ron is also undoubtedly an ally.
Ron’s libertarian beliefs have made him an easy character for real-life conservatives to try to misrepresent online. Over the years, many have tried to do exactly that. Offerman and “Parks and Recreation” co-creator Michael Schur have repeatedly combated those efforts, though.
In 2016, both Offerman and Schur even responded to questions about whether Ron would have voted for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in that year’s election by revealing that the character would have ultimately voted for Clinton.
Offerman’s fiery tweet came the same day the news broke that former “Parks and Recreation” actor Jonathan Joss, who recurred in the NBC sitcom as Chief Ken Hotate, was shot and killed in an incident that Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, said was a homophobic attack.
