In case you missed it, over the weekend Chris Pratt found himself at the centre of a debate on Twitter over — you guessed it — who in Hollywood is the worst Chris.
It all started with this tweet from TV writer Amy Berg. Based on the replies and quote tweets, it looked like most people had very strong feelings about it — and most of them were in favour of Chris Pratt being the one to go.
One has to go.
People were even naming Chris Pratt in other, completely unrelated editions of "one has to go".
Chris Pratt. https://t.co/MMCp7DoWcb
The answer is still Chris Pratt. https://t.co/9L3D1UyidB
And it went so far that Chris Pratt's name ended up trending.
the fact that chris pratt is trending because of the amount of people naming him the worst chris is sending me 😭
The tweets follow several months of speculation over Pratt's political and religious beliefs, though he has never explicitly spoken about his political beliefs.
And earlier this month, Pratt was called out after making what people called an "insensitive" and "disappointing" joke on Instagram about voting in the presidential election.
Well, in an outcome that probably nobody expected to happen over a game of "one has to go", a number of Pratt's most famous costars are now stepping up to defend him from all the public criticism.
Mark Ruffalo, who starred alongside Pratt in the Avengers franchise, called him "as solid a man there is" and encouraged people to "look at how he lives his life".
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.
Ruffalo, who has been outspoken in his support of the Democrats this election, suggested that the discussion about Pratt was "a distraction".
Josh Gad, who is a friend of Pratt's, quote tweeted Ruffalo's tweet and said "they don't get better" than Pratt.
Then Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn jumped into the debate, calling Pratt "the best dude in the world" and saying people should "stop assuming what he believes".
Sorry. Just finding out about this nonsense. @prattprattpratt is the best dude in the world. I’ve spent hours & hours sharing my deepest truths with this man, as he has with me. Please stop assuming what he believes, politically or in any other way, because he’s a Christian. https://t.co/XSIgU9WemX
"Many actors are nice only to people in power," Gunn wrote in a followup tweet. "What matters to me is how people treat the crew members, and wait staff, and fans. And Chris Pratt is always incredibly kind to these people, which is one of the reasons I love him."
Their fellow Avengers cast member Zoe Saldana also posted in support of Pratt. She tweeted a quote from Tupac.
No matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep your head up and handle it. -Tupac You got this @prattprattpratt . Your family, friends, colleagues & everyone who’s ever crossed paths with you knows your heart and your worth!
Meanwhile, Iron Man himself Robert Downey Jr had several choice words for Pratt's critics in an Instagram post.
And Brooklyn Nine Nine star Terry Crews also tweeted praise of Pratt for "having his own mind and his own beliefs".
God bless you @prattprattpratt for having your own mind and your own beliefs.
Of course, this is the internet, and so the story didn't end there. Many people took issue with the Hollywood stars' defence of Pratt, especially considering so many of their female costars and actors of colour in the MCU had been met with silence when they were harassed online.
chris pratt lost a “who is the best chris” poll and got called a homophobic trump supporter and rdj, mark, zoe supported him like he got shot or sumn while brie larson got actual death threats and they didn’t say shit, make it make sense
mcu cast mcu cast when when female "Chris Pratt ugly" cast mates were harrased online
Brie Larson: *gets literal death threats for being a woman* The MCU cast: Chris Pratt: *loses a random twitter poll and follows alt right Republicans* The MCU cast:
"Where was this energy when Brie Larson was massively harassed for months just for advocating for diversity in the industry?" one Twitter user wrote, referencing the uproar surrounding Larson's casting as Captain Marvel.
Where was this energy when Brie Larson was massively harassed for months just for advocating for diversity in the industry? And they all knew about it. Suddenly Chris Pratt gets some criticism and they all come to his defense? The bar is hell.
Before Captain Marvel was released last year, trolls flooded its Rotten Tomatoes page with fake negative reviews, many of which denounced the movie as "racist and sexist against white males" and expressed anger surrounding Larson's criticism of the film industry's lack of diversity.
"We waited months for these men to use their privilege to literally keep Brie Larson safe from rabid men," another said. "As well as Tessa Thompson. And Zendaya too at times."
Honestly fuck 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
Others brought up the racist backlash Anthony Mackie received after it was revealed he would replace Chris Evans as Captain America following Endgame, and the bullying Zendaya faced after being cast as MJ in Spider-Man.
Brie Larson: gets daily misogynist attacks and death threats. MCU Cast: Anthony Mackie: received racist remarks and death threats again for replacing Chris Evans as Cap. MCU Cast: Chris Pratt: gets called out for going to a homophobic church and being weird looking MCU Cast:
let me get this right. Brie Larson was harassed by men for MONTHS. Zendaya was bullied for being MJ bc she’s biracial, Mackie was bullied for becoming Captain America and the Avengers were SILENT, but Chris Pratt gets called the “worst” Chris and it’s Avengers Assemble?
But while the drama is no doubt far from over, people are taking comfort from the people who haven't spoken in support of Pratt. Yet.
yall know who isnt defending chris pratt? the better chris trio