This is a developing story with many moving parts that stemmed from a tweet — aka the wildest form of drama. So without further ado, Avengers, please assemble and join me on this journey about why the internet turned on Chris Pratt this weekend.
Now, this all started a few days ago when TV writer Amy Berg tweeted this seemingly innocent tweet:
One has to go.
While cases were made to get rid of Hemsworth, Pine, and Evans, an overwhelming majority of people volunteered their opinion on why Pratt was, in fact, the Chris who had to go:
unless one of them other than Chris Pratt once gave away an old cat because it was too much trouble to take of, he's definitely the one who's canceled (backstory: https://t.co/eAcHS8xjKf) https://t.co/SjSA8t6bU3
Now, because it's the internet, people took this opp to make jokes about the whole saga:
You have to get rid of one. * * Chris Pratt
The answer is still Chris Pratt. https://t.co/9L3D1UyidB
the fact that chris pratt is trending because of the amount of people naming him the worst chris is sending me 😭
chris evans, chris pine, and chris hemsworth knowing they’re superior to chris pratt
Chris Pratt. https://t.co/MMCp7DoWcb
chris pratt is out, chris messina is in for a 16 month trial run
Others are using the trending moment to reignite conversations about Pratt's alleged political views. Though he has remained silent over the years politically, there have been several occasions where his views have been called into question.
Last year, he caused controversy when he was photographed wearing a "Don't Tread on Me" shirt. In 2019, he also defended his church, Hillsong Church, after they were accused of being anti-LGBTQ. And a quick look at his Instagram follows will bring up several right-wing accounts, including Ben Shapiro:
And so, with Pratt's name trending on Twitter all weekend, people once again started speculating about what it is that he stands for:
Chris Pratt hoping no one notices his absence here https://t.co/6SW0A40Kd0
And his associations with Hillsong Church were brought back into the spotlight:
For those insisting there’s “no source” showing that Chris Pratt supports conversion therapy, you don’t get to go to a notoriously homophobic and abuse-harboring church like Hillsong and then pretend that you’re not complicit. That’s not how anything works ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Pratt himself hasn't made a comment since he started trending, but he does have supporters. His wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, defended him in the IG comments of an E! News post:
Fellow Avenger Mark Ruffalo also came to his defense, calling Pratt a "solid man":
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.
