Chris Pratt caused further division among his fans after sharing a cryptic post to go alongside with a selfie of himself after voting on Election Tuesday.
Rather than announcing an endorsement as many other celebrities have done, the movie star, 45, wrote in the caption: ‘I got a sticker. Scratch and sniff. Smells like freedom.’
The actor’s smirking selfie comes just one day after he came under fire for his neutral approach toward the presidential election between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.
In an essay Pratt, 45, wrote for his mother-in-law Maria Shriver’s website, Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, the Marvel actor said he wanted to remind people that whoever the winner of the election is – and which side wins – ‘we are fellow countrymen.’
Chris Pratt shared a selfie of himself after voting, posting it on Election Tuesday
The selfie had fans divided – with some praising him for not stating who he was voting for.
One social media user wrote: ‘Bless you for voting and not telling us who to vote for or who you voted for. Miss those days and real people who don’t tell others how to think.’
Another said, with clapping emojis: ‘For not saying your vote as it should and you usually do, also for your win or lose article, based af all United as one not divided as it should be.’
Others speculated on who he voted for, with one writing: ‘I know there’s no way Pratt voted for Kamala.’
Another said that they ‘hope you voted with your daughters and wife in mind.’
One person said that ‘if it smells like freedom I think we all know who he voted for,’ garnering almost 500 likes.
The selfie had fans divided – with some praising him for not stating who he was voting for
In his op-ed, 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.
What a nothing burger of a statement,’ one user said, while another added, ‘What an insipid, nothing burger of an article. Thanks for nothing, Chris.’
Said one user: ‘Dude couldn’t make it three sentences without “both sides” ‘ing it lol.’
Another added, ‘Oh, shut up, Chris. No one needs your useless platitudes.’
One user challenged Pratt’s sentiments, writing, ‘Okay Chris, I’ll bite. Tell me one thing about Trump’s side that is worth voting for, if you see things from “both sides.”‘
Critics of his op-ed also took to X, formerly Twitter, calling Pratt’s neutrality ‘upsetting.’
‘While he does not endorse either candidate, and the site is from a former Democrat (now independent) Maria Shriver, it upsets me to see Chris Pratt play “both sides have good ideas” with what is at stake for me,’ one X user wrote.
Adding: ‘My life is at stake, the bodily autonomy of my fellow trans siblings and people who can get pregnant in general, of black people and immigrants, of anyone who disagrees with Trump’s policies, and watching Chris Pratt say “I see both side” and “It’s not about who wins and loses.”‘
Another wrote, ‘This clown lmao human rights are on the line and he has the audacity to say this c***.’
Chris is under fire for his neutral approach to the Presidential election. Pictured October 25 at Dodger Stadium in LA
Critics of his op-ed took to X, formerly Twitter, calling his neutrality ‘upsetting’
Shriver called the piece a ‘really good op-ed by my son-in-law’ in a link to his story on her site.
In a thread on Shriver’s X account linking to the story, users echoed similar sentiments: One user said, ‘No thanks, “good people on both sides” Bulls***;’ another said, ‘You still have to pick a side. And Trump is a criminal, no good side there.’
The Minnesota native’s neutral op-ed comes after his fellow Avengers stars endorsed Harris – with Scarlett Johannsson, Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle and Danai Gurira coming together to film a video to support her in her bid to become president.
Pratt’s father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday publicly endorsed Harris for president.
‘I will always be an American before I am a Republican,’ the Terminator star and former California governor said in an extended social media post. ‘That’s why, this week, I am voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.’
Schwarzenegger said that a second presidential term for Trump ‘will just be four more years of bulls*** 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.’
Pratt’s father-in-law Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday publicly endorsed Harris for president. Pictured in Florida earlier this year
Multiple users on Reddit slammed Pratt, saying the actor’s relatively noncommittal political statement came off as vapid and low-value
In Pratt’s piece, the Moneyball actor also gave his advice on being a good citizen – despite who is elected in the office.
‘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,’ 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.’
Pratt 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, as the couple are parents to daughters Lyla Maria, four, and Eloise Christina, two. He is father to son Jack Pratt, 12, from his previous marriage to actress Anna Faris, 47.
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 also gave his advice on being a good citizen – despite who is elected in the office; pictured in 2018’s Jurassic World with Bryce Dallas Howard
Pratt has past come under fire for issues linked to his politics and faith: Pratt was criticized in 2019 by Elliot Page, who said that Pratt 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.
In October of 2020, his wife Katherine commented on E! News’s Instagram page over the story, saying, ‘Is this really what we need? There’s so much going on in the world and people are struggling in so many ways.
‘Being mean is so yesterday. There’s enough room to love all these guys. Love is what we all need not meanness and bullying. Let’s try that.’
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.
(L-R) Pratt, Katherine Schwarzenegger, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Christina Schwarzenegger attended the LA debut of Netflix’s FUBAR in May 2023
Pratt also was in hot water a year later, after a November 2021 social media post he penned garnered negative attention, after he thanked Katherine for giving birth to a ‘healthy’ child. (Pratt and Faris’ son Jack dealt with multiple health issues after he was born two months prematurely, weighing three pounds and 12 ounces.)
Pratt in 2022 said that he was deeply upset by the ‘f***ed up’ pushback, noting that he feared that Jack was ‘gonna read that one day … and it’s etched in digital stone.’
