The Last of Us star responds to homophobic Bill and Frank backlash: "It's a love story, you a-hole"

Nick Offerman spoke out against the homophobic backlash to his episode of The Last of Us as part of his acceptance speech at this year's Independent Spirit Awards. He won Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series for his role as Bill in the video game adaptation, whose character revolved around his relationship with another man.

"Thank you so much. I'm astonished to be in this category, which is bananas," Offerman said (via Variety). "Thanks to HBO for having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition that is truly independent. Stories with guts that 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. It’s not a gay story, it’s a love story, you asshole!'"

In the series, Bill is a misanthrope living in isolation during the apocalypse, until his path crosses with Frank, played by Murray Bartlett. Their love story was told in The Last of Us episode 3, which was a big hit with fans and critics alike. The pair only had minor roles in The Last of Us video game, but the TV show fleshed out their characters and used the episode to document their meeting and blossoming romance through to their eventual deaths.

The Last of Us season 2 is currently filming in Vancouver, Canada, and is expected to air sometime in 2025, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey returning as Joel and Ellie. They'll be joined by new cast members including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, and Catherine O'Hara in an undisclosed role.

While we wait for The Last of Us season 2 to arrive on our screens, check out our picks of the other best new TV shows coming our way in 2024.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.