Ten years ago, Chris Pratt was an up-and-coming actor beloved by fans for his portrayal of the dimwitted but adorable Andy Dwyer on the NBC hit, Parks and Recreation. Since that time, his career has catapulted into movie stardom but his popularity with the public has taken a nosedive. So, how did he become such a despised celeb? Here’s the reason why people hate Chris Pratt.
Fans Loved Chris Pratt Early On In His Career
Pratt was always eager to be an actor. He got his start at age 19, after meeting ’80s action star Rae Dawn Chong (he was her waiter at a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant). ”I was like, ‘You’re in the movies, right? I always wanted to be in the movies,”’ Pratt told Entertainment Weekly. ”She said, ‘You’re cute. Do you act?’ I was like, f— it, ‘Goddamn right I act! Put me in a movie!”’
Chong ended up casting him in his debut film, Cursed Part III. While the movie was hardly a hit, Pratt says he knew from that experience he wanted to make a career out of acting. “The moment [Chong] told me she was bringing me to L.A., I knew,” he told Entertainment Weekly. ”I was like, ‘This is what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.'”
Pratt started landing roles on TV shows like Everwood and The O.C. and also snagged small parts in movies like Bride Wars and Jennifer’s Body. But his big break came in 2009 when he was cast on the TV comedy Parks and Recreation. The show was an instant hit and Pratt’s notoriety soared. He started appearing in more high-profile films, including big box office hits like The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy. One of the reasons fans were so fond of the actor was because he refused to leave Parks and Rec despite his burgeoning movie stardom.
“I don’t care how much money someone would offer me or what I could be offered, I wouldn’t abandon ship,” Pratt said in a 2015 interview. “This team was awesome, and the process of making this show spoke to me and was so perfect for me like the way I like to work. Like it’s loose, and it’s fun, and you get to try something new every take.”
How Pratt Became The ‘Worst Chris’
As Pratt gained mainstream success, fans began paying closer attention to Pratt’s personal life and online activity. They also began comparing him to the other famous Chrises in Hollywood, such as his Marvel co-stars Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth. Eventually, the internet collectively decided that Pratt is the “worst Chris.” Here are some of the reasons why.
Divorce From Anna Faris And Remarriage To Katherine Schwarzenegger
In addition to playing lovable idiot-type roles, like Andy Dwyer, people liked Pratt early on because of his relationship with Scary Movie star Anna Faris. The pair became one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples, marrying in 2009 and having a son together in 2012.
When the duo announced their separation in 2017, fans were devastated. While the pair said the split was amicable, the public’s perception was that Pratt was to blame. And when the Jurassic World star started dating Katherine Schwarzenegger (yes, that’s Arnold’s daughter) just months after his divorce from Farris was finalized, the negative feelings toward Pratt really started to grow.
Things got worse after Pratt and Schwarzenegger tied the knot in 2019 and started having kids. The Avengers: Infinity War star was called out for an insensitive and sexist Instagram post he wrote in November 2021. In the post, Pratt praised his wife for giving him “a gorgeous healthy daughter.” Many people read this as a slight to Anna Faris since the son she shares with Pratt has had numerous health issues over the years.
Readers also took issue with the way Pratt spoke about Schwarzenegger, calling him sexist for making it sound as if his wife’s sole purpose in life was to please him. “She helps me with everything. In return, periodically, I open a jar of pickles, ” he wrote. “Her heart is pure and it belongs to me.”
Despite the backlash, Pratt waited until June 2022 to finally address the drama. In an in-depth interview with Men’s Health, Pratt acknowledged the criticism stung.
“I said something like, ‘Find someone who looks at you the way my wife looks at me.’ And then I gave her some sh*t in the thing and said, ‘But I love you. I’m so thankful for my wife—she gave me a beautiful, healthy daughter.’ And then a bunch of articles came out and said, ‘That’s so cringeworthy. I can’t believe Chris Pratt would thank her for a healthy daughter when his first child was born premature. That’s such a dig at his ex-wife.’ And I’m like, That is f*cked up. My son’s gonna read that one day. He’s nine. And it’s etched in digital stone. It really f*cking bothered me, dude. I cried about it. I was like, I hate that these blessings in my life are—to the people close to me—a real burden.”
Zoe Church Membership
Pratt has also faced heat for his association with Zoe Church, which was modeled after the controversial Hillsong Church founded by now-disgraced pastor Chad Veach. In February of 2019, Pratt was called out by Juno star Elliot Page for being a member of the church, which he claimed was anti-LGBTQ.
“If you are a famous actor and you belong to an organization that hates a certain group of people, don’t be surprised if someone simply wonders why it’s not addressed,” Page tweeted. “Being anti LGBTQ is wrong, there aren’t two sides.”
Chris Pratt vehemently denied the accusation in an Instagram story, writing: “It has recently been suggested that i belong to a church which ‘hates people’ and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.’ Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone.”
In his June 2022 interview with Men’s Health, Pratt addressed the religious backlash as well. “Religion has been oppressive as f*ck for a long time,” he says. “I didn’t know that I would kind of become the face of religion when really I’m not a religious person. I think there’s a distinction between being religious—adhering to the customs created by man, oftentimes appropriating the awe reserved for who I believe is a very real God—and using it to control people, to take money from people, to abuse children, to steal land, to justify hatred.”
Conservative-Leaning Political Views
But wait—there’s more! Also in 2019, Pratt was spotted wearing a t-shirt featuring the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag, which is considered by many people to be racist because it’s been worn by white supremacists.
While Pratt’s motive for wearing the shirt may have been innocent, the pictures did nothing to help his tarnished image. Add to that the fact that Pratt was suspected of being a Trump supporter and has been known to follow many conservative Republicans on social media, and you have a really bad look as far as Hollywood is concerned.
How Pratt’s Directors And Co-Stars Feel About Him
Fortunately for Pratt, many of his Hollywood cohorts have stood up for him against the backlash. For example, when fans started calling for the actor to be nixed from the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie, director James Gunn tweeted, “For what? Because of your made-up, utterly-false beliefs about him? For something that someone else told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him.”
A number of Pratt’s Hollywood pals also came to his defense, including his Guardians co-star Zoe Saldana, who tweeted, “You got this @prattprattpratt. Your family, friends, colleagues & everyone who’s ever crossed paths with you knows your heart and your worth!”
Fellow MCU star Robert Downey Jr. made it known he was in Pratt’s corner, posting a picture of himself with the Jurassic World star and writing, “The ‘sinless’ are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt… A real Christian who lives by principle, has never demonstrated anything but positivity and gratitude… AND he just married into a family that makes space for civil discourse and (just plain fact) INSISTS on service as the highest value.”
The Hulk’s Mark Ruffalo also stood behind Pratt, taking to his social media to say, “You all, @prattprattpratt is as solid a man there is. I know him personally, and instead of casting aspersions, look at how he lives his life.”
Pratt himself seems baffled by the hate. Again speaking with Men’s Health, the Jurassic World star opened up about how it weighs on him. “You don’t ever wanna get caught complaining or anything,” he says. “ ’Cause I have so many blessings. I consider everything a blessing truly in my life.” Despite this, he lamented, “Why are they coming after me?”
In Hollywood, public perception largely lives on social media, with the negative voices often being the loudest. Given Pratt’s continued success at the box office, along with the support of those who know him best, it’s safe to assume there are many who, in fact, don’t hate Chris Pratt.