Why RIP Chris Pratt Is Trending
RIP Chris Pratt is taking off on Twitter. Why?
This article is more than 2 years old
Chris Pratt has found himself at the center of a full-blown social media wildfire. The Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World star is seeing the hashtag #RIPChrisPratt take off on Twitter. For clarification, this does not mean the actor has actually passed away. Instead, it is a little more complicated. Let us try to explain exactly why this sentiment is taking off on the social media platform.
It started with a poll way back in October from writer Amy Berg that asked folks to “get rid” of one of the notable Chrises: Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Chris Pine. Overwhelmingly, fans voted Pratt as the worst of the bunch and it led to a lot of discussion and speculation about the actor. Part of that was the possibility that he was a Donald Trump supporter but stayed quiet during that administration’s time in the White House. Twitter users also pointed out that he followed controversial right-wing pundits like Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson.
Things starting getting deeper when Chris Pratt started to see his religious affiliations also become the subject of criticism. Elliot Page pointed out that the church Pratt belongs to – Hillsong Church in Los Angeles – is thought to have anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments. A 2019 report from the Washington Post discovered a statement that urged the Australian members of the church to vote against same-sex marriage.
There are other controversies that Chris Pratt has found himself in the center of. During the filming of Parks and Recreation, the NBC sitcom that arguably launched his celebrity status, Pratt decided to appear fully nude during a scene in order to garner a reaction out of his co-stars. Nude scenes have to be thoroughly regulated and approved during film and television productions, and Pratt’s decision to randomly carry out the scene while nude was met with a stern response from NBC’s Human Resources department.
Chris Pratt also came under scrutiny after he and Anna Faris divorced after eight years of marriage. Their relationship became the subject of lots of tabloid speculation, and although Anna Faris does not seem to hold any strong ill-will towards the actor, there are always sides chosen whenever a high-profile celebrity couple calls it quits.
So, why has #RIPChrisPratt started trending on Twitter once again after taking off late last year? It seems that the star is back in the spotlight since he has started filming scenes for Thor: Love & Thunder. His character Star-Lord has been spotted in behind-the-scenes photos. With the actor back in focus, it looks like a lot of folks on Twitter have decided to revive the hashtag in order to bring more attention to the actor’s controversial history.
Will Chris Pratt end up facing any ramifications from this social media trend? The last time this happened, a number of Marvel Cinematic Universe actors came out to defend their co-star. Will the same thing happen now that the hashtag has been revitalized? Or will more about the actor come to light that could endanger his standing in the public eye? With the trend still going strong on Twitter, we will simply have to wait and see what emerges from this new attempt at putting Chris Pratt on blast.
