TV Guide Calls Actor Chris Pratt ‘Problematic’ for Hunting and Raising Lambs on His Farm

Associated Press
Associated Press

TV Guide labeled Hollywood actor Chris Pratt “problematic,” citing the Guardians of the Galaxy star’s love of hunting and dismissal of contemporary outrage culture.

In an article entitled, “How to love Chris Pratt without hating yourself,” TV Guide ranked Pratt at number five on its 12 Day of Chris-Mas’ article series — a list presenting a different Hollywood star named “Chris” from there “worst” to “best” over the span of 12 days.

“Adding fuel to this particular fire is the fact that Pratt, an avid hunter who has often spoken about his love of hunting, currently raises lambs on his farm. When you take a deeper look at Pratt the man and not necessarily Pratt the actor, some of the shine wears off,” wrote TV Guide’s Kaitlin Thomas. “Although he can be as funny offscreen as he is on — his recurring “What’s My Snack” videos on Instagram are almost always delightful — it’s impossible to ignore some problematic aspects of his life offscreen.”

Thomas takes issue with a May 2015 incident, in which Pratt mocked outrage culture stemming from a joke Marvel star Jeremy Renner and Chris Evans cracked about Scarlett Johansson, referring to her Black Widow character as a “slut.”

“I want to make a heartfelt apology for whatever it is I end up accidentally saying during the forthcoming #JurassicWorld press tour,” Pratt wrote. after coming under fire for brushing aside the wisecrack. “I hope you understand it was never my intention to offend anyone and I am truly sorry.”

Further, the op-ed takes issue with Pratt criticizing Hollywood’s lack of films produced for blue-collar Americans, saying in an April 2017 interview with Men’s Fitness that he cannot relate to today’s movies. “The idea that Pratt doesn’t see himself — though he may come from a working-class family and spends most of his time on a farm, he’s also a successful, straight white man at the heart of two major film franchises — as being represented in television or film is ridiculous, as is the idea that working-class America isn’t well represented in Hollywood,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas also criticizes Pratt’s so-called  “enthusiastic tone” regarding his penchant for consuming “fresh farm-to-table lamb.”

“Adding fuel to this particular fire is the fact that Pratt, an avid hunter who has often spoken about his love of hunting, currently raises lambs on his farm,” Thomas said. “The enthusiastic tone he took when speaking about “eating fresh farm-to-table lamb” in an Instagram video earlier this year — “They are the happiest lambs on the planet, they are so sweet and then one day they wake up dead and they’re in my freezer” — sparked backlash from a number of fans, and not just those who are vegetarians or vegans. The next day, Pratt posted a photo of several pieces of fresh lamb meat and even compared said lamb’s death to something as easy or trivial as “unplugging a TV.”

Pratt didn’t immediately respond to Thomas’ smears but did post a witty Christmas message.

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