Nick Offerman made a surprise appearance on The Daily Show Tuesday night to deliver a passionate message in support of America’s underfunded national parks, which have faced even further cuts under Donald Trump‘s second administration.
“Hello, I’m stage and screen luminary Nick Offerman,” he said at the top of a new installment of the show’s “In My Opinion” segment. “And I’d like to say the phrase that everyone loves hearing: ‘Do you have a moment to talk about the environment?’”
Offerman, who authored a 2022 book about the parks system called Where the Deer and the Antelope Play, then launched into a spirited defense of the parks. “I have several undeniable loves in my life: The oaky notes of a barrel-aged whiskey, an old-fashioned plumb Bob dangling over a red cedar plank, my blushing bride’s hoo-ha, and, of course, America’s national parks.”
After sharing light-hearted memories of his own early journeys to the parks, Offerman got serious. “It brings me great sorrow to report: These pastoral gifts to America are under attack.” A video montage followed, detailing recent staffing cuts, underfunded maintenance, and a system stretched dangerously thin.
“That’s right. America’s parks are now so underfunded that they’re making scientists clean the toilets, like Good Will Hunting, but in reverse,” Offerman declared. “This is no way to treat America’s park rangers.”
He then highlighted the absurdity of recent funding decisions under the second Trump administration: “Let me get this straight, Mr. President. You cut $267 million to get back $90 million.” He then reminded viewers of the parks’ real value: “In 2023, national parks brought a record $55.6 billion dollars to the U.S. economy, supporting more than 415,000 jobs.”
In closing, Offerman made a characteristically cheeky plea for bipartisan support, calling the parks “the one place where a pickup truck and a Prius look equally at home,” and noting that “America without its national parks is like McDonald’s without the hamburgers. You can still go there, I guess, but at that point, it’s kind of just a bathroom.”
Past installments of The Daily Show‘s “In My Opinion” segment—a sort of celebrity op-ed spot for the show—have featured the likes of Charlamagne tha God, John Leguizamo, Leslie Jones, Laverne Cox, and Chris Distefano.
Watch Offerman’s entire Daily Show appearance at the top of this post.
