Chris Pratt’s Online Haters Feel Vindicated By His Dumb Endorsement of RFK Jr.

Every once in a while, true haters of certain Hollywood film stars are rewarded for their years of sustained loathing. Through positive press cycles, weddings and inevitable major Marvel casting news, it can often feel like you’re in a small, isolated world with no support. You’ll be called a “naysayer,” “too critical,” “a bully” and even “mean” for harboring your ill-will. But then, something will happen that will vindicate the years of hard work abhorring someone. 

The haters of Chris Pratt have long suffered under his success; the dinosaur movies, the space superhero movies, the enduring charm from his Parks and Rec era. People loved the guy. But the Pratt haters merely had to bide their time. First, he divorced the endlessly loveable Anna Faris. (She was simply effervescent in House Bunny!) He got super buff — good for him — but in a way that felt very right wing. By the time he married Katherine Schwarzenegger in 2019, it was clear that Pratt was no longer the affable comedic actor that was making crude jokes as Burt Macklin. He was part of the Kennedy dynasty now — Schwarzenegger is the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. Shriver is a cousin to the Kennedy family. 

Along the way, the guy has gotten very religious, in a way that doesn’t broker much room for humor. “I care enough about Jesus to take a stand, even if it costs me,” he told Christian Post in March. “It could cost me everything, but I don’t care. It’s worth it to me because this is what I’m called to do, it’s where my heart is.” He became the kind of guy who says things like “2,000 years ago, they hated Jesus, too." It wasn’t just his Christian faith though; he at one point was affiliated with Hillsong, a megachurch known for its anti-LGBTQ+ views and rhetoric. Though he later distanced himself from the organization, it cast a cloud of doubt around his political beliefs. 

So for those who have been paying attention to that saga, it’s not too much of a surprise that Pratt went full MAHA (Make America Healthy Again). On this week’s podcast interview with Bill Maher’s Club Random, Pratt opened up about his raw-milk-drinking, sewage-water-bathing in-law, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Pratt thinks the man that is eliminating crucial funding for cancer research, deregulating vaccinations and making major cuts to healthcare agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is actually a pretty great guy. 

“I’ve spent a number of occasions hanging with him, just in a strictly, you know, family dinner kind of vibe and I really got along well with him,” Pratt told Maher. “I think he’s great. I think he’s funny. He’s wonderful. I like him. I love him.”

Obviously, this was the final proof that long-time haters of Pratt needed to confirm the Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy star is far more aligned with conservative politics than previously indicated. While Pratt didn’t give an endorsement to the Trump administration, he did say he supported RFK Jr.’s efforts to get “toxic” stuff out of kids' food. 

On Twitter, Pratt’s detractors took a victory lap. 

Do we know the exact views of Chris Pratt? No. But the man is sending a lot of signals that reinforce a pretty negative perception, and his Maher interview did nothing to dispel those notions. “I’d hate to be so mired in hatred for the president that any success from his administration is something I’d have an allergic reaction to. To be like, ‘Oh, well, if they do it, I don’t want it to happen,” Pratt continued to Maher. “‘I’ll put Clorox in my children’s cereal myself.’” 

Eye-rolling levels of hyperbole happening with that statement. But, to no one’s surprise, Maher didn’t push back or challenge him. The former liberal king of late-night programming echoed Pratt’s love for RFK Jr. instead. “I love him,” Maher said. “I may not agree with everything. But I agree with the overall view that what makes us sick is the toxicity.”

Still, even though there was a strong contingent of people who have long been critical of the superstar actor’s political beliefs, others were shocked by the latest revelations about Pratt being onboard with even some of RFK Jr.’s views. “I originally thought Chris Pratt was Andy Dwyer in real life,” one person on Reddit wrote. “He’s one of those people that matches what you think his characters are actually like in real life. Not too proud to admit I was VERY wrong after his religious rants.”

Yeah, Pratt is definitely not an Andy Dwyer type. It’s possible he might be more of a Bev Keane from Midnight Mass type.