'Last of Us' lesbian character says 'I'm going to be a dad' in controversial scene
Days before Mother's Day, the HBO series "The Last of Us" is taking the flak for a scene in which a lesbian character talks about being a "dad."
In the latest episode of the hit zombie-apocalypse series, the show's main character, Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey), learns Dina, her LGBT-identified girlfriend (Isabela Merced), is pregnant with the child of her boyfriend Jesse (Young Mazino).
"So, we're having a baby," Dina says, showing Ellie the results of a handful of home pregnancy tests. "Us and Jesse, too. We're all having a baby."
In response to learning the news, Ellie pauses before blurting out, "I'm going to be a dad."
"I'm gonna be a Dad". ???? #TheLastOfUsSeason2 is a complete trainwreck.pic.twitter.com/eFJyzBPgYD
— Antonio Chavez (@NewsM101) May 6, 2025
The female character's identification as a father is the latest serving of pro-LGBT content on "Last of Us," which last month depicted Dina and Ellie sharing their first on-screen kiss in a moment reportedly recreated from the video game series, which inspired the show.
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The HBO version of the scene was based on a similar scene in the "Last of Us" game in which Ellie, rather than showing excitement about being a "dad," reacts angrily and tells Ellie the pregnancy is a "burden."
Merced said she and Ramsey were "so comfortable with each other" during the same-sex kissing scene.
"Everything felt so tender that day, even when we were shooting it, Bella and I were just so comfortable with each other," she told Variety. "And also, we both have experience in queer relationships. You can just tell when a girl hasn't kissed a girl before. You can just feel it."
Last month, the 21-year-old Ramsey, who has publicly identified as "nonbinary" and wants fans to stop referring to her as a "young woman," said that despite her LGBT identification, she still supports using binary award categories for male and female performances.
"I think it's so important that recognition for women in the industry is preserved," Ramsey told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think the gendered categories conversation is a really interesting one. I don't have the answer, and I wish that there was something that was an easy way around it, but I think that it is really important that we have a female category and a male category."
Despite her rise to fame as an LGBT-identified character on a LGBT-friendly hit show, Ramsey once had a YouTube channel where she shared her testimony and quoted Bible verses.
Called "United Hope," the channel — which has since been taken down and subsequently re-uploaded by Ramsey fans — features videos from 2018 in which the then-14-year-old Ramsey hoped to offer "little pockets of positivity" and "showing the light of Jesus."
"This is all for Him. This isn't through my strength that I'm doing this," Ramsey said in one video. "I'm not a Bible scholar. I'm not a pastor. I'm not trained in this area. I'm just a 16-year-old girl that's no more special or chosen than anybody else. I'm just Bella, following what God has asked me to do."
Following a battle with an eating disorder in 2018, Ramsey credited her faith for playing a "huge part" in her recovery. Since then, she has been diagnosed with autism and a severe mental health condition known as emetophobia disorder, a fear of vomiting or seeing others vomit.
