Amy Poehler Told the National Rifle Association to F— Off
The NRA tried to use a gif from Parks and Recreation on Twitter.
Photo via AP/Jordan Strauss/Invision
The NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation is one of the most gif-able shows out there. Whether you’re a fan of Ron Swanson dancing in a tiny hat or the show’s invented (and much-loved) holiday Treat Yo Self, the show has continued to enjoy a spot in the public eye long after its finale in 2015. There’s a gif for any occasion. But the National Rifle Association earned a rare public comment from the show’s star after it tried to use a gif of Leslie Knope.
CNN aired a town hall event last night in which students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School addressed their senators about gun control following the devastating shooting at their school. The event did not just feature Republican Senator Marco Rubio getting heckled by the crowd, though. The NRA’s controversial spokeswoman Dana Loesch was also there. Afterwards, the official account for the group tweeted out a gif of Amy Poehler in character as Leslie Knope saying thank you to Loesch.
.@DLoesch thank you for being the voice of over 5 Million #NRA members. pic.twitter.com/WDz7vujXfM
— NRA (@NRA) February 22, 2018
And the comedian found a way to get a message back to them about how she felt about her image being used that way. She might not be on Twitter, but Michael Schur, the show’s creator, is, and he passed on an important message from the Burlington native. Specifically, she would like to tell the NRA to fuck off.
Hi, please take this down. I would prefer you not use a GIF from a show I worked on to promote your pro-slaughter agenda.
Also, Amy isn’t on twitter, but she texted me a message: “Can you tweet the NRA for me and tell them I said fuck off?” https://t.co/YXSdzCdvdd
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) February 22, 2018
While Knope’s politics are not explicit much of the time, her frequent clashes with proudly libertarian boss Ron Swanson don’t exactly suggest she’d be fighting stricter gun control legislation (and the episode “Hunting Trip” shows Knope discussing the basics of responsible gun ownership). In fact, several fans pointed out that it would have made a lot more sense to use a Swanson gif to promote the NRA’s message, and asked Schur why the group didn’t use Swanson instead.
They’re morons. https://t.co/8v0BmOCyFF
— Ken Tremendous (@KenTremendous) February 22, 2018
But even then, the NRA probably wouldn’t have gotten a particularly positive response, as Nick Offerman, who played Swanson, was equally displeased with his show’s message being co-opted.
.@NRA @DLoesch our good-hearted show and especially our Leslie Knope represent the opposite of your pro-slaughter agenda – take it down and also please eat shit. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/Ar2YF4yoic
— Nick Offerman (@Nick_Offerman) February 22, 2018
Offerman wasn’t the only former cast member to weigh in, either, with Adam Scott, who played Poehler’s love interest Ben Wyatt, also coming to Knope’s defense:
Hey @nra please stay the fuck away from Leslie Knope. https://t.co/Lr2HCeN7qp
— Adam Scott (@mradamscott) February 22, 2018
One person who did earn the approval of the show’s creative team for using a Leslie Knope gif, however, was Emma González, one of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who’s been a prominent activist in the aftermath. Former first lady Michelle Obama tweeted out her support for the students, and, proving the show’s eminent usefulness as a gif factory, González responded with a gif of Leslie Knope having a worshipful encounter with the first lady.
— Emma González (@Emma4Change) February 22, 2018
Considering Schur retweeted that, it’s safe to say that’s one Parks gif use Poehler would appreciate.
