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Katherine Schwarzenegger, Mark Ruffalo, and more defend Chris Pratt from online criticism

The actor became the topic of conversation for his political views


Jovita Trujillo
Jovita Trujillo - Los Angeles
Senior WriterLos Angeles
OCTOBER 20, 2020 8:56 PM EDT

 Chris Pratt  became the topic of conversation Tuesday after E! News posted this question on their Instagram account: Which Hollywood Chris is best? On Monday the outlet shared photos of  Chris Evans   Chris Pine ,  Chris Hemsworth , and Pratt. They captioned the photo, “t‘s an age-old debate: Which Hollywood Chris is the best? Marvel, weigh in, and see which actor the internet is giving the boot to (👀)”

What started as a fun game went downhill after fans target Pratt for his religious and political views. Although he has never confirmed it, many believe that Pratt is a Trump supporter. “Anyone but Chris Pratt” one person commented. “Chris Pr*tt doesn‘t deserve to be included in this post or amongst those fine understanding men.” “Any of these Chris’s 😍 except Pratt,” are among some of the other comments that can be found on the post. While some fans did try to stick up for the actor, they were drowned out by hundreds of anti-Pratt commenters.

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The hate got so bad that Pratt’s wife  Katherine Schwarzenegger  commented on the post to stick up for her man. “Is this really what we need? There’s so much going on in the world and people are struggling in so many ways. Being mean is so yesterday,” she wrote. “There’s enough room to love all these guys. Love is what we all need not meanness and bullying. Let’s try that.” The conversation eventually made its way to Twitter and Pratt was slammed there too.

Pratt’s Marvel alum  Robert Downey Jr . and  Mark Ruffalo  attempted to help on Tuesday but may have made the situation worse. Ruffalo tweeted, “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. He is just not overtly political as a rule. This is a distraction. Let’s keep our eyes on the prize, friends. We are so close now.”

Down dedicated an Instagram post to Pratt and wrote in the caption, “What a world... 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. If you take issue with Chris,,, I’ve got a novel idea. Delete your social media accounts, sit with your OWN defects of character, work on THEM, then celebrate your humanness.”

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The posts made Twitter even angrier and many called out the men for coming to Pratt’s rescue but staying quiet when their female co-stars like  Brie Larson,  and  Zendaya  were harassed. “Honestly f*** you. We waited months for these men to use their privilege to literally keep Brie Larson safe from rabid men. As well as Tessa Thompson. And Zendaya too at times. They’re out here posting entire Instagrams for Chris Pratt for MINIMAL and justified criticism” one person tweeted.

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Pratt’s personal values were first questioned after he appeared on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in 2019 and discussed his religious views and his church. Pratt attends the Hillsong mega Church which has come under fire for being anti-LGBTQ. According to Yahoo, Hillsong’s founder, Brian Houston, wrote in an August 2015 blog post, “We do not affirm a gay lifestyle.” He added that gay men and women are banned from holding positions of leadership in the church. Celebrities like Kendall and  Kylie Jenner ,  Vanessa Hudgens , and Justin Bieber have also attended. After his appearance on the show actress and LGBTQ advocate Ellen Page called out Pratt and the Hillsong church. Page tweeted, “Oh. K. Um. But his church is infamously anti lgbtq so maybe address that too?” “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,” she tweeted. “Being anti LGBTQ is wrong, there aren’t two sides. The damage it causes it severe. Full stop. Sending love to all.”

Pratt responded to the accusation in an Instagram Stories video. He wrote, “It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which ‘hates a certain group of people’ and is ’infamously anti-LGBTQ.’” ”Nothing could be further from the truth,” he continued. ”I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone…My faith is important to me, but no church defines me or my life.”

Earlier this month, Pratt got called out for a tone-deaf post urging his followers to vote for him in this year’s People’s Choice Awards. Fans shamed Pratt for mocking other celebrities that were encouraging voters to cast their ballots for the 2020 election. “With all that’s going on in the world it is more important than ever that you vote. Just ask any celebrity. They will tell you. Every day. Several times a day. To vote. But me? I will tell you EXACTLY who to vote for.” Pratt continued, “The heroes before us did not spill their blood only to have their sacrifices wasted by your apathy,” he continued. “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. Click the link in my bio. Let your voice be heard.”