has admitted that there is 'parts of HSTikkyTokky I liked and parts I didn't like' as he got candid about interviewing the controversial manosphere influencer in his latest documentary.
The filmmaker, 55, explored how extremist influencers are in his doc, Inside The Manosphere.
The Manosphere itself refers to an online network - including forums, websites and blogs - that promote anti-feminist beliefs, masculinity and misogyny.
As part of the documentary, Louis interviewed several prominent creators, including HSTikkyTokky, after noticing 'parts of the Internet were being taken over' by male influencers claiming to provide young men with 'cheat codes to win at life'.
HSTikkyTokky's - real name Harrison Sullivan - social media presence on platforms such as has become increasingly inflammatory as his quest for yet more followers continues.
Espousing the idea that society has become biased against men and that women are to blame, he says that by following his example, his fans can reclaim their status as ‘alpha males’ and get rich at the same time.
Louis Theroux has admitted that there is 'parts of HSTikkyTokky I liked and parts I didn't like' as he got candid about interviewing the controversial manosphere influencer in his latest documentary
But when asked if he liked the influencer, Louis admitted that despite Harrison's furious attacks against him and controversial comments, he 'didn't dislike him'
However, the broadcaster went on to say that while their were elements of Harrison that he approved of, the way in which he utilised his talents was inarguably harmful, and prevented him from liking the online creator.
Not surprisingly, he’s been dubbed a ‘pound-shop Andrew Tate’ in reference to the self-proclaimed misogynist British-American kickboxer who has since been accused of human trafficking and rape – charges he denies – and spent five months living under house arrest in Romania.
But when asked if he liked the influencer, Louis admitted that despite Harrison's furious attacks against him and controversial comments, he 'didn't dislike him'.
He explained that he attempts to approach subjects in his films in a non-binary way, and said there were things about Harrison that he could respect, acknowledging he was 'charismatic' and 'hardworking'.
However, the broadcaster went on to say that while their were elements of Harrison that he approved of, the way in which he utilised his talents was inarguably harmful, and prevented him from liking the online creator.
Appearing on The Romesh Ranganathan Show podcast, Louis said: 'I wouldn't say I disliked him. I know like that sounds like "What are you trying to say, Louis?" I think a lot about these things probably too much.
'I think actually my reactions in that journalistic sphere are more complicated than "oh I like him or I didn't like him", you know what I mean? Sorry to be really cheese-paring, but there's parts of him I liked and there's parts I didn't like if I'm honest.'
Harrison partially makes his money through his followers, earning cash from advertising gambling firms, cryptocurrency and get-rich-quick schemes, as well promoting women's OnlyFans on his socials in return for a cut of their revenue.
He claims to be an elite trader who uses a £20million-a-year income to fund a lavish lifestyle, however, Daily Mail revealed that nothing is as it seems when it comes to the influencer's supposed wealth. You can Sharing the reason why he wanted to delve into the manosphere world, Louis explained that it contained elements of many other different topics that he's explored in previous documentaries he'd made Romesh pointed out that an argument could be made that it was impressive that Harrison had able to find success online and financially coming from humble beginnings, and asked if Louis could see that perspective.
'I'd buy that', the TV star agreed. 'From all the work I've done, I've tried always to take an approach of resisting binary thinking on things like, "Oh you know, that person's horrific".
'You know, sometimes it's irrelevant. Like Hitler was nice to his dog - whatever, it doesn't really mean much. But in other contexts where you think, "Well there are pros and cons to people's life".'
Louis explained that there were elements of Harrison's content that he had no issue with, but they were couched in abusive and bigoted language.
'Like truthfully in the manosphere, the fitness advice is usually he idea of "Get to the gym if you're feeling down, don't feel sorry for yourself, go and work out." And I believe that,' he said.
'That's why I do a Joe Wicks workout most days. But Joe Wicks isn't saying women shouldn't be allowed to drive, right? So there's a lot of good content, and no one's got a problem with the good content.
'And actually yeah he's hardworking, that's valid. He looks good, he's got charisma, he's a talented broadcaster. So it's like yeah I can acknowledge all of those things. I don't have a problem with any of those things.'
But Louis went on: 'His start in life is interesting. He went to a private school, he had a good education. And there's a real work ethic there.
'But then how meaningful is it to have a good work ethic if you're just spending hours and hours spewing offensive pickup lines to girls on a beachfront in Marbella?
'You're like, "Well you work really hard spouting that abuse, so I give you credit for that." Do you know what I mean?'
Sharing the reason why he wanted to delve into the manosphere world, Louis explained that it contained elements of many other different topics that he's explored in previous documentaries he'd made.
Harrison has been dubbed a ‘pound-shop Andrew Tate’ in reference to the self-proclaimed misogynist British-American kickboxer who has since been accused of human trafficking and rape – charges he denies – and spent five months living under house arrest in Romania (Seen)
While he said that he wanted to find out more about what part of the culture was resonating with people and explore the concept of creating extreme and controversial content for the purpose of making cash.
He said: 'I've joked that this is this subject is like the final boss of subjects for me because it combines so many things that I've seen in other worlds in other films that I've done.
'Whether it's homophobia, misogyny, racism, porn - because they're selling adult content and a lot of the guys are a gateway to OnlyFans subscriptions. So that was kind of the impulse in the idea of making a film that I thought would be interesting and revealing.
'The misogyny is obviously the front burner issue, the one that is most immediately concerning and there's absolutely no excusing it.
'It's horrific and and it's becoming more and more weird almost like a one-upmanship, like "I don't think women should drive. I don't think they should vote." It sort of feels like it's become a sort of performative misogyny of creating outrage.
'But the crazy thing is that's almost the window dressing for a sales pitch. They go viral exploiting algorithms online that thrive on divisive content. And then it becomes an upsell for a rubbish subscription to an online university or some crypto scam or an FX trading platform.
Like Andrew Tate, Harrison also tells his followers that they can get rich by following his advice, at times demanding a minimum £300 deposit to invest.
The Financial Conduct Authority has issued a warning about his ‘tips’ on trading foreign and crypto currency.
He also makes money as a ‘teaser’ for women on OnlyFans – the online subscription service known for its explicit content – by promoting them to his followers and taking a cut of the revenue they earn.
But he describes the women he promotes as ‘disgusting’ and says he’d disown any daughter of his who ‘did OnlyFans’. The same fate, he declared to a deadpan Louis , awaits any future son who turns out to be gay.
Despite hitting out against women sharing sexualised content on OnlyFans, Harrison was happy to show Louis his own videos receiving oral sex in a nightclub toilet.
Elsewhere in the documentary, the broadcaster was left stunned once again as he watched on while Harrison's fans 'kicked and punched' a man as they targeted him for content.
Louis explained that one of Harrison's followers had 'claimed to have set up a date online with an older man with the idea of humiliating him live on stream'.
The influencer joined the two young fans as they waited for the man to arrive, where they were seen being encouraged by viewers to 'punch up' the unsuspecting man.
In November he was handed a one-year suspended sentence at Staines Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance
Later in the documentary, Harrison was seen ranting online after videos of him and Louis went viral on social media during their time filming the Netflix special.
Thousands of viewers had headed to the comments joking that Louis was 'setting up' the social media star to 'look like a clown' by having him involved in the documentary.
He was heard fuming: 'If you want to call me a pimp, a scammer, racist, homophobic d**khead, I'm all of those, I'm all of those, Theroux.'
Aside from the foul-mouthed nonsense he spouts online, Harrison has also fallen foul of the law, both here and abroad.
Back in 2024, he fled the UK after crashing a £230,000 McLaren supercar in Virginia Water in Surrey and fleeing the scene. He goaded police while on the run in Thailand, Dubai and Spain.
Shortly after filming, he was arrested last August by local authorities in Marbella for allegedly attacking a man with a glass, leaving him with, in the words of Malaga's National Police, ‘extremely serious injuries to his neck‘.
While that case is still outstanding, Surrey Police arrested him in October regarding the crash, after chartering a private jet to bring him back to the UK.
He went on to plead guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance at Staines Magistrates‘ Court and yet, remarkably, walked free after the judge issued him with a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Harrison was also disqualified from driving for two years, issued with a temporary 9pm curfew and ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
