For a brief period of time Chris Pratt was the golden boy of Hollywood, with his charming and boyish role as Star-Lord in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy making him a household name overnight. But the internet seemingly turned on him without warning and left many wondering, even to this day, why the star gets so much hate.
The actor has been on the receiving end of negativity from fans for a long time now and although it’s let up somewhat, many still just can’t bring themselves to like him. Back in 2020 Pratt was singled out as being the least likable Chris in Hollywood, (the competition included Hemsworth, Evans and Pine too). Even today, the actor receives a lot of backlash, notably for his role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. But where does all this hate come from? One fan asked the question on Twitter to try and get caught up on the Chris lore.
It’s a good question, and to be honest, we’d quite like to know why we’re all supposed to be hating on him too. Replies to the tweet claimed that it all stemmed from rumors surrounding Pratt’s personal life, particularly his religion. Some stated that he belongs to a homophobic church that’s also involved in gay conversion therapy, while ithers also pointed to the rumor that he abandoned his special needs child and ex-wife Anna Faris after their divorce.
False rumors about him abandoning his special needs child and another false rumor of him donating to a gay conversion church
— Luke (@ISkywalkerIl) April 12, 2023
Responses pointed out that these were only rumors and that there’s not really much to verify whether or not Pratt really has done the things he’s been accused of. Two executives from his church did make homophobic statements in 2015, but Pratt has stated his support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Elliot Page called him out for attending a church in LA whose NY branch had a homophobic pastor and it all snowballed from there
— Bjönk (@BorkEternal) April 12, 2023
It all started when actor Elliot Page posted a tweet that exposed Pratt’s church for their behaviour towards the LGBTQ+ community. From there, it seems things progressively got worse as many began to suspect The Lego Movie actor of leaning more to the political right and accusations about him really began flying. It’s safe to say that the haters have mostly disappeared for now as a majority of the responses seem to have Pratt’s back, and to be fair, they’re actually doing a better job than his PR team ever did.
There were rumors of him going to a very homophobic church and giving them money but they turned out to be completely fake and I think most people haven’t realized it’s fake
— Cum_James (@YoungerBobRoss) April 12, 2023
There were a few who still harbored negative feelings towards the actor though, as they explained their own motivations for not liking him. And the reasons for their hate are a lot simpler than being about his political views or personal life.
I just don’t like him. His presence brings nothing of enjoyment for me. Just a preference, I’m sure he’s great in real life.
— Your right hand comes off? (@Yeager_the8th) April 12, 2023
Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
I dont hate him but I can’t stand the over-saturation of him. He’s in what feels like everything and just plays Star Lord over and over again (aside from his voice roles).
— Robby (@_bigshot_rob) April 12, 2023
Even the most likable actors can find fans turn on them once they saturate their medium. Everyone has their time in the limelight and it seems like Pratt’s might have already gone by. The rumors may have affected his career, but the truth is that to many, he’s just become synonymous with the generic action hero.
The coming years could decide his future now that he’ll no longer be tied to Marvel. To see him in a project that’s completely different would probably make him more appealing to those who are sick of him. Leaping into a different genre could be exactly the kind of challenge he’d need to shine. All the other Chris’s have branched out into other genres, it’s time for Pratt to spread his wings, maybe he could do something more serious and dramatic. It would be a nice change to see him involved in whatever Darren Aronofsky comes up with next.
If you’re one of the people out there that still like Chris Pratt, that’s OK, you’re allowed to, and you can see him in all his glory as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in theaters May 5.