Chris Pratt ‘doesn’t realize’ why his neutral op-ed about the 2024 election sparked a furious backlash, according to sources who claim the Hollywood actor simply wanted to ‘unite’ people.
The Marvel star, 45, came under fire for the essay he shared ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election, which saw Donald Trump defeat Democrat Kamala Harris and make a historic return to the White House.
Writing for his mother-in-law Maria Shriver’s website Sunday Paper, Pratt disappointed fans with his neutrality, claiming he wanted to remind people that whoever the winner of the election is ‘we are fellow countrymen.’
‘Chris is a very open person and honest person,’ a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. ‘He doesn’t realize why his op-ed has rubbed people up the wrong way.
‘He is genuine in nature even if it appears that he is actually oblivious to others feelings.’
Chris Pratt ‘doesn’t realize’ why his neutral op-ed about the 2024 election saw him face backlash, sources have revealed to DailyMail.com
They continued: ‘He’s surprised by the reaction to his op-ed. He wanted people to talk about it and to make an impact.
‘He wanted to unite people, but all he has done is unite people against him. He has been taken back.’
In his essay, The Guardians Of The Galaxy leading man wrote: ‘It’s ok to take a moment to lick your wounds when you lose. Heck, go ahead and cry in the mirror.
‘But if we become too paralyzed by defeat or too pompous in victory, allegiance to our “team” can blind us to the fact that we are fellow countrymen.’
Multiple users on Reddit slammed Pratt, saying the actor’s relatively noncommittal political statement came off as vapid and low-value.
It appeared his statement irked further as it landed just days after his father-in-law, and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, had told the world: ‘I will always be an American before I am a Republican. That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.’
Schwarzenegger claimed that a second presidential term for Trump ‘will just be four more years of bulls**t with no results that makes us angrier and angrier, more divided, and more hateful.’
‘We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger.’
The Marvel star came under fire for the essay he shared ahead of Tuesday’s presidential election, which saw Republican Donald Trump crowned victorious
Despite the fact many of his fellow Marvel stars, and his father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured above) all publicly endorsed Harris, Pratt continued to opt for neutrality
Opening up about how Pratt’s extended family feel about his choice to not openly take sides regarding politics, the insider noted: ‘Maria and Arnold respect him and know the man that he is.
‘They don’t agree with all of his views, but it isn’t a deal breaker because they, along with everyone else he is friends with, know that he doesn’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings or make them think a certain way.’
The insider claimed Schwarzenegger and Pratt will refrain from discussing the election outcome, but the Terminator is ‘always there for advice if Chris ever asks or needs it.’
They continued: ‘Arnold, though a Republican, stands for Kamala and he has his own reasons for that.
‘Whomever Chris is voting for is his own decision and Arnold is going to accept it. He just wants Chris to be the man he needs to be for his children and his daughter.’
In Pratt’s piece, the Moneyball actor also gave his advice on how to be a good citizen no matter the election result.
‘How do we become a nation of honorable winners and graceful losers? It starts with remembering no matter who wins or loses, there are still going to be people who need help in this country,’ he wrote, adding that you need to ‘find them’ and ‘be of service.’
Pratt urged both parties to ‘accept the results and focus instead on showing up for each other.’
The source said: ‘He doesn’t realize why his op-ed has rubbed people up the wrong way. He is genuine in nature even if it appears that he is actually oblivious to others feelings’
The Tomorrow War actor also talked about losing a wrestling match as a kid and how he ‘cried for at least an hour’ until he realized ‘losing is part of the game.’
With that in mind, Pratt reflected on people today, noting that he thinks ‘many people have yet to learn that lesson.
‘Sometimes your team doesn’t win,’ Pratt said. ‘The 2024 presidential election is three days away as I write this. The biggest game of all time approaches.
‘Team Red versus Team Blue. A rematch for the ages. A showdown four years in the making. It’s giving UFC 3Million energy.’
Pratt is expecting his third child with wife Katherine Schwarzenegger, 34. The couple are already parents to daughters Lyla Maria, four, and Eloise Christina, two.
He is also father to son Jack Pratt, 12, from his previous marriage to actress Anna Faris, 47.
Despite his intentions to try and foster peace, the backlash serves as another example of how Pratt has landed in hot water in recent years as a result of his politics and faith.
Pratt has past come under fire for issues linked to his politics: Ahead of the 2020 election between Trump and President Joe Biden, he was branded ‘Hollywood’s Worst Chris’ on social media over his lack of political engagement
Pratt was criticized in 2019 by Elliot Page, who said that the actor was aligned with an ‘infamously anti lgbtq’ church. The outlet Vox reported that Pratt was a parishioner of the Zoe Church in Los Angeles.
Ahead of the 2020 election between Trump and President Joe Biden, he was branded ‘Hollywood’s Worst Chris’ on social media over his suspected right-wing leanings.
Amid the hubbub, a number of Pratt’s Marvel costars, including Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr. – as well as his brother-in-law Patrick Schwarzenegger – rallied to Pratt’s defense with public statements defending his character.
In November 2021 he came under fire again for a social media post he penned in celebration of his wife giving birth to a ‘healthy’ child.
Some took it as a slight due to the fact Pratt and Faris’ son Jack dealt with multiple health issues after he was born two months prematurely, weighing just three pounds and 12 ounces.
The actor admitted in 2022 that he was deeply upset by the ‘f***ed up’ pushback, noting that he feared Jack was ‘gonna read that one day … and it’s etched in digital stone.’
