People left stunned after only just realizing ‘Galentine’s Day’ was invented by a popular sitcom character
- Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope created the holiday
- It is intended as a celebration of female empowerment and friendship
- Fans of the show were outraged to learn that many people don’t know its origins
Galentine’s Day has taken on a life of its own since its introduction on Parks and Recreation in 2010, but more than a decade later, fans of the NBC sitcom were outraged to learn that many people don’t know its origins.
Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope coined the unofficial holiday in the series’ second season during episode 16, written by show co-creator Michael Schur and aptly titled “Galentine’s Day.”
The Valentine’s Day spinoff has become associated with single women over the years, but it’s meant to be a celebration of women’s empowerment and friendship, regardless of relationship status.
“Every February 13th, my girlfriends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and have a nice breakfast,” Knope explained on the show. ‘Ladies celebrate ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, without the fear. Plus frittatas.”
Galentine’s Day was created in 2010 by Amy Poehler’s Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope. She explained on the show that it’s about ‘ladies celebrating ladies’
Condemnations of the unofficial holiday led to the realization that many people don’t know the origins of Galentine’s Day, which is meant to be a celebration of female friendship
However, recent condemnations of the celebration on
X user @missMARCELA_ came under fire after equating the day with single women and alcohol.
“Sorry, but Galentine’s Day activities are a nightmare for me,” she wrote. “Why would I celebrate not having a husband with a bunch of single women while I’m drunk?”
“The audacity to suggest that Ms. Leslie Knope would EVER create a male-centric holiday. Galentine’s Day is from the girls, for the girls,” one person commented.
“First, we would like to thank our dear sister Leslie Knope for Galentine’s Day. Secondly, it was never about celebrating not having a husband,” another added. “It was just for the girls to get together, have a drink and have fun. Don’t you understand the concept of a girls night/day/trip?’
“When did Galentine’s Day become that? Who made that up because it wasn’t Leslie Knope,” someone else asked.
X user @MoMelaninMoPrbz faced similar backlash after sharing her own take on the day, without realizing it came from a sitcom.
‘Single b*****s make every holiday about them ’cause what’s a ‘Galentine’s’? Then it becomes Single de Mayo,” she lamented.
Parks and Recreation fans argued in the lead-up to February 13 about the true meaning of the celebration and condemned critics who called it a fake holiday for single women.
“Is it really so long since Parks and Rec ended that people have forgotten where Galentine’s Day came from????? Unforgivable,” someone responded.
Others were angry that people celebrated Galentine’s Day without giving Poehler’s beloved character credit for its invention.
“As a hardcore Parks and Rec stan, I don’t see Leslie Knope getting her due for creating Galentine’s Day. You don’t deserve to celebrate,” someone insisted.
“Y’all celebrate Galentine’s Day and don’t even know the creator. Show some respect for Leslie Knope’s name!’ another commented.
“Don’t people know that Leslie Knope founded Galentine’s Day? I’m worried,” someone else admitted.
Despite the holiday feuds, many fans praised Leslie Knope and the writers who created the fictional character on February 13.
“We need an episode of Parks and Rec where Leslie Knope responds to the Twitter discourse on Galentine’s Day. Her impact,” one person commented.
“Let this Galentine’s Day be a reminder of what a well-written TV comedy does for the culture,” says another. “Thank you to Amy Poehler (and) the writers of Parks and Rec.”