Once Per ‘Parks and Recreation’ Season, Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman Would Uncomfortably Ruin A Take by Making Out

Leslie Knope may never have had a chance with Ron Swanson on account of her unabashed blondeness, but, once per Parks and Recreation blooper reel, he made an exception for his would-be Tammy 3.

Nick Offerman, much like his most recognizable character, is uncontrollably magnetized by Megan Mullally and has been married to Tammy Swanson since 2003. Their relationship is so famously affectionate and devoted that we were surprised to learn during the recent Parks and Recreation cast reunion that, apparently, Mullally gave Offerman a sort of hall pass so long as it was in the name of laughter. With so much comedy talent in the cast and crew of Parks and Recreation, the annual blooper reel that the editors cut together for the wrap party was always an absolute banger, but one joke between Amy Poehler and her on screen boss stands out as uncomfortably committed.

During the Parks and Recreation reunion round table with The Independent, Poehler revealed that, once per season, she and Offerman would surprise and traumatize the cast and crew for the sake of the outtakes. Said Poehler, “Nick and I used to do a thing every year for the blooper reel where we would end a scene by making out and the crew would hate it.”

“Everybody hated it and it really made us laugh,” Poehler said of her and Offerman’s annual gag real gross-out. “It was like watching your aunt and uncle making out or something.”

This isn’t the first time Poehler has publicly acknowledged her and Offerman’s in-joke. At the Paley Center for Media’s PaleyFest in 2014, Poehler brought up the bit while showrunner and co-creator Michael Schur was explaining the purposefully platonic origins of Ron and Leslie’s relationship, with Schur snarking of the running joke, “We never put it on the gag reel because it’s super disturbing. It’s really unpleasant to watch,” adding, “It’s like watching your parents go at it super hard.” Co-star Chris Pratt concurred, saying, “It was disturbing.”

Schur then prodded Pratt, “You like it when your parents make out.”

Thankfully, the running gag didn’t ruffle the feathers of Offerman or Poehler’s respective partners, and, in the recent reunion, Offerman explained how special it was to be able to work with his wife the way he did during Parks and Recreation. Said Offerman of his and Mullally’s scenes together, “Engaging in such salacious comedy with my wife, who is also a comedy hero to me, also caused me to giggle regularly with gusto. She makes me laugh so easily in real life, and she also pushed my buttons so easily that it can be very hard to keep a straight face with her.”

Still, he apparently had an even harder time keeping a straight face when it was smushed against Poehler’s in sacrilege.