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The late Peanut the Squirrel, his OnlyFans star owner & why Republicans are freaking out explained
The universe heard you say, "Could this election get any weirder?" and took that as a challenge.
I'm pretty in the know, I'm hip, I'm in the loop, but if you also saw "squirrel euthanasia" and thought, "Okay, I've missed something," you're not the only one. Strap in, and we'll catch you up, because this one is nuttier than a squirrel's stocking on Christmas Day (too soon?).
Peanut — also known as P'nut or PNUT — the squirrel is a social media sensation. At the time this article was written, Peanut boasted 795k followers on Instagram and 326k followers on TikTok. He was popular because he's an adorable animal on the internet. He was also popular because his owner is OnlyFans star Mark Longo, who is quite successful in his own right and has a significant gay fanbase.
In addition to his OnlyFans, Longo, 34, runs a an animal refuge in Pine City, New York, a rural town near the Pennsylvania border. P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary was home to Longo, Peanut, a rescued raccoon named Fred, and Longo's wife, Daniela.
Longo announced via Instagram that Peanut and Fred had been seized by New York State Department of Conservation officers, and subsequently euthanized. Longo was open with his grief in the post where he wrote, "I'm in shock, disbelief, and disgusted to the people who did this to, PNUT. For the last 7 years, Peanut has been my best friend. He’s been the center of my world and many of yours for so long, I don’t know how to process this, emotionally.
Last year we moved to NY in hopes of starting a NONPROFIT animal rescue in PNUT’s Name. @pnuts_freedom_farm will forever live in PNUT’s memory. With over 350 rescues, we’ve relied heavily on PNUT and his internet family to gather donations to help more animals. I don’t even know how will continue to fundraise for this nonprofit. I’ll be taking a break from social media for a bit."
In the six days since Longo's original memorial post announcing his break from social media, Longo has posted 30 times to Peanut's Instagram account and 16 times to his TikTok. The posts are mostly asking for donations to support P'nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary and its 31 other current rescue animals, or for people to sign a change.org petition created by Longo which calls for "Justice for Peanut the Squirrel and NYSDEC Reform." The petition currently has 63,864 signatures.
The DEC and Chemung County Department of Health released a joint statement about the animals' seizure: "On Oct. 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized." Longo has denied that anyone was bitten during the investigation.
Peanut the Squirrel is posthumously living many people's worst nightmare: Dying an untimely death at the hands of the state then somehow getting turned into a right-wing martyr. Yet again, we see no one is safe from Republican nonsense- not even in death, and not even squirrels.
In doing an interview with the New York Post, which is owned by Fox News creator Rupert Murdoch and tends to lean conservative, Longo inadvertently called Republicans to come take up his cause. They could just donate to his nonprofit animal sanctuary, but instead Elon Musk himself turned this poor squirrel into "Obi PNut Kenobi", the Patron Saint of Government Overreach.
You can't make this stuff up.
It's not just Musk and his online cronies. JD Vance — you know, the guy running to be second in command of the United States — took time at a rally in North Carolina to address Peanut's passing.
“Have you seen the videos of this squirrel? He’s, like, a genius. Or he was," said Vance, continuing, "Is it really the case that the Democrats murdered the Elon Musk of squirrels?”
Tl;DR In the hours leading up to the most important election of our lifetime, Republicans took the grief one man had for the untimely death of his beloved pet and spun it into a talking point about how Democrats ruin everything. And that's what you missed on Glee.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
Rowan Ashley Smith has often been described as "a multi-hyphenate about town." He loves work that connects him to his cultures as a gay, Jewish, multiracial trans man. Before breaking into journalism, the best days of his professional life were spent as a summer camp professional, a librarian, and an HIV prevention specialist. His work has been featured in GO Magazine, pride.com, and The Advocate. In what is left of his free time, Rowan enjoys performing stand up comedy, doing the NYT crossword, and spending time with his two partners, two children, and four cats.
