Li'l Sebastian Returns From Horsey Heaven To Join Parks And Rec Cast On Strike
When Mouse Rat sang "Maybe someday we'll saddle up again," this must have been what they meant: famed "Parks and Recreation" mini horse Li'l Sebastian was spotted on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA picket line yesterday, despite having canonically passed away back in 2011. The sweet horsie's return came in the middle of a near-total cast reunion for the beloved NBC sitcom, and was captured for posterity on Jean-Ralphio actor Ben Schwartz's Instagram.
"Lil Sebastian made a rare public appearance to support the #sagaftrastrike #wgastrike alongside some people who understand how amazing he is," Schwartz wrote, sharing photos of a mini horse wearing with a pretty blond mane wearing a purple "#7 Lil Sebastian" jersey.
The character Li'l Sebastian made a huge splash with fans of the small-town political comedy back when it aired, as "Parks and Rec" featured a great running gag in which the entire town of Pawnee fawned over the mini horse like he was Beyoncé-level famous, leaving newbie Ben (Adam Scott) scratching his head about the whole phenomena. When L'il Sebastian died in the show's third season, Pawnee pulled out all the stops, including a catchy memorial song performed by Andy's band.
L'il Sebastian supports fair pay!
Those 5000 candles in the wind must've inspired a miracle, because the horse made a surprise comeback for a picketing reunion that also featured castmates Scott, Schwartz, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Retta, and Jim O'Heir. Even some noteworthy "Parks" guest stars who played recurring characters showed up for the reunion. Kirk Fox (Sewage Joe), Alison Becker (reporter Shauna Malwae-Tweep), Colton Dunn (animal control employee Brett), Allan McLeod (excellently named reporter Trodd Frankensteip), Joe Mande (a writer for the show who also played city council member Morris), and legendary actor Sam Elliott (Eagleton's Ron Dunn) all showed up to support the ongoing labor movement.
The WGA strike surpassed the 100-day mark last week, meaning it has officially gone on longer than the most recent strike in 2007. Yesterday, negotiations resumed between the writers' guild and the AMPTP, the organization representing the interests of companies like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery, among others. The WGA negotiating committee posted a message to its strike website last night, explaining that the AMPTP had given them a counteroffer that they'll be deliberating on it over this weekend. Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA has been on strike for nearly a month now, with both groups asking their employers for a fairer cut of streaming residuals, a curb to the unchecked power of AI in the workplace, and more.
Can Li'l Sebastian solve all the complex issues Hollywood is facing today? Honestly, probably, that horse is a hero. But for now, we'll settle for seeing him inspire writers and actors on the picket line — any "Parks and Rec" reunion wouldn't be the same without him.