The Chris Pratt Controversy Explained: All the Times the Actor Was Problematic
Actor Chris Pratt is a polarizing star who is loved by some and despised by others. Pratt is one of Hollywood’s top leading men bringing in big box office numbers. He first gained widespread fame for his role as the goofy yet lovable Andy Dwyer in the hit series Parks and Recreation. From that point forward, everything Pratt touched turned to gold. He became a household name portraying Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy and Owen Grady in the Jurassic Park series. However, Pratt went from a beloved star on the rise to a celebrity stirring up trouble. So what is the Chris Pratt controversy all about?
Why Is He Trending?
Becoming a trending topic isn’t necessarily a good thing these days. Chris Pratt knows this better than anyone. Pratt suddenly became the number one trending topic in 2020. Social media deemed Pratt the worst Chris in Hollywood when comparing him to Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Chris Pine. It turns out that there are a lot of Chris’s in Hollywood, and Pratt is the least popular.
Social media users all prefer Evans, Hemsworth, and Pine. While Pratt always delivers incredible performances, his tweets and comments rub people the wrong way. He’s had everyone talking with remarks about religion and relationships. There’s a long list of reasons that people point to as the reason for his fall from grace. Let’s look at why Pratt is such a controversial figure.
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1. Chris Pratt and Elliot Page
Chris Pratt is very open about his religious beliefs and faith in God. However, his association with the notorious anti-LGBTQ Hillsong Church raised some eyebrows.
During an appearance on Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Pratt discussed his faith and spiritual side. His comments caught the attention of proud LGBTQ advocate Elliot Page. Page felt Pratt should address belonging to a church that hates a specific group. He tweeted, “His church is infamously anti-LGBTQ, so maybe address that, too?”
At the time, Pratt responded to Page, saying, “I am a man who believes that everyone is entitled to love who they want free from the judgment of their fellow man.” He followed that up by comparing his divorce to the LGBTQ community, turning it into another controversy.
2. Christ Pratt Denounced Hillsong… Eventually
Pratt didn’t denounce the Hillsong Church and remained quiet on the subject for years. Finally, in 2022, Pratt denied being a member of the Hillsong Church and claimed to know nothing about the group. Social media users brought up an obvious question: why didn’t Pratt denounce Hillsong earlier?
He claimed he didn’t want to throw the church under the bus. Pratt noted that he’s a member of the Zoe Church, but that’s controversial in itself. The church’s founder, pastor Chad Veach, produced a film that compares same-sex marriage to being broken and lost.
3. Chris Pratt’s Healthy Daughter Comment
In 2018, Chris Pratt began dating the daughter of 80s action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger, Katherine Schwarzenegger. They married in 2020 and now have two daughters. In an Instagram post, Pratt paid tribute to his wife and thanked her for giving him a “gorgeous healthy daughter.” Fans felt Pratt was taking a shot at ex-wife Anna Faris.
Pratt was married to actress Faris before his relationship with Katherine. In 2012, their son Jack was born nine weeks premature and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, fans regarded his tribute to Katherine as insensitive, considering Faris and Jack’s health issues.
4. Blue Collar Comment
Hollywood tries to feature as many diverse voices as possible. It’s common for actors to express their feelings if they feel a specific group is underrepresented in the industry. Chris Pratt felt that blue-collar workers don’t have a voice in Hollywood.
During an interview with CBS News in 2017, Pratt claimed, “I don’t see personal stories that necessarily resonate with me because they’re not my stories. I think there’s room for me to tell mine – and probably an audience that would be hungry for them. The voice of the average, blue-collar American isn’t necessarily represented in Hollywood.”
Of course, Pratt’s comments hit a nerve since blue-collar characters are a staple of classic movies and television shows. In fact, 2017 saw the release of three critically acclaimed films about average blue-collar people: Fences, Hell or High Water, and Moonlight.
5. Christ Pratt Onward Tweet
Celebrities often use their influence to spread the word about voting. In 2020, the U.S. Presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was on the minds of every American. However, Chris Pratt made a joke about the election which didn’t go over well with most people on social media.
In promoting the animated movie Onward, Pratt encouraged fans to vote for the movie at the People’s Choice Awards. He added, “The upcoming 2020 People’s Choice Awards is the most consequential vote in the history of mankind times a million infinity. Vote for Onward for family movie of the year. Or else. You WILL die. No hyperbole.” Despite being a joke, most people felt it came at an inappropriate time.
6. Chris Pratt as Mario
The upcoming animated film Super Mario Bros caused quite an uproar among fans when the first trailer came out. Most of the criticism focused on Chris Pratt’s voice performance as Mario. Fans feel either the original voice actor, Charles Martinet, or an Italian actor should be cast in the role. While the second trailer got better reviews, fans were still critical of Pratt’s performance and lack of effort.
7. Celebrities Defending Pratt
During the whole “worst Chris in Hollywood” storm, several prominent MCU actors jumped in to defend their friend Chris Pratt. However, his friends supporting him added fuel to the fire. Actors Robert Downey Jr., Zoe Saldana, and Mark Ruffalo were quick to defend Pratt, while director James Gunn weighed in on the situation. He said, “Please stop assuming what he (Pratt) believes, politically or in any other way, because he’s a Christian.”
However, numerous fans pointed out MCU stars never defended cast members Tessa Thompson and Anthony Mackie. They both endured intense harassment upon their casting. Furthermore, several fans noted actress Brie Larson received a significant backlash for saying she wanted more diversity in Hollywood. At that time, no MCU actor jumped in to defend Larson. When pointed out to Gunn, he responded, “I didn’t know about the Brie Larson stuff.”
8. Chris Pratt and Hunting
With just one tweet Chris Pratt managed to stir up a lot of controversy when he discussed hunting, something Pratt loves. Pratt once sent out an Instagram post bragging about hunting, notably a lamb he recently killed. He posted an image and noted, “Look at this glorious food! We will eat off him for a month.” Fans online felt he was encouraging and glamorizing hunting.
9. Unplugging the Lamb
Another comment from Chris Pratt’s post about the lamb caught everyone’s attention. After detailing all the benefits of killing the lamb, he compared killing it to unplugging a TV. He called the experience “trauma free” and “the other sheep don’t even notice. It’s like unplugging a TV.” Fans felt his comments were morbid and insensitive.
10. Old Tweets
As is customary with a pile-on, social media users often search past tweets of a celebrity already in the middle of a controversy. Social media users combed through thousands of tweets looking for something to add to Chris Pratt’s issues. In one tweet discussing Miss Universe, he wrote, “Miss Universe, in a way they all look like Miss Hungry.”
He also garnered heat for claiming he would be a crooked cop. Pratt later claimed the tweets were fake. Regardless, social media users were furious about the tweets.
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