Chris Pratt under fire for tone-deaf Instagram post about voting
Chris Pratt stirred up controversy for an “insensitive” joke about voting.
The actor, 41, shared an Instagram post last week to encourage fans to vote for his movie “Onward” at this year’s People’s Choice Awards — seemingly poking fun at the many celebrity-endorsed voting PSAs.
“With all that’s going on in the world it is more important than ever that you vote,” Pratt wrote. “Just ask any celebrity. They will tell you. Every day. Several times a day. To vote. But me? I will tell you EXACTLY who to vote for.”
“The heroes before us did not spill their blood only to have their sacrifices wasted by your apathy,” he continued. “The upcoming 2020 People’s Choice Awards is the most consequential vote in the history of mankind times a million infinity.”
“Vote for #Onward for family movie of the year,” he concluded. “Or else. You WILL die. No hyperbole. Click the link in my bio. Let your voice be heard.”
The Marvel star’s joke somewhat backfired, with a number of his followers calling the gag “insensitive.”
“I get this is supposed to be a cute little joke but it comes off as really insensitive,” wrote one person. “The upcoming election is really important and everyone should vote and for you to try and take that and turn it into an ad for your movie is low.”
Another user tweeted, “Chris Pratt said the election does not concern me because I am a white privileged man, instead vote for my movie so I can get more awards.”
Pratt’s political preferences have been a subject of speculation in the past, after he said in 2017 he did not feel “represented” by either Democrats or Republicans.
“I really feel there’s common ground out there that’s missed because we focus on the things that separate us,” he told Men’s Fitness. “You’re either the red state or the blue state, the left or the right. Not everything is politics. And maybe that’s something I’d want to help bridge, because I don’t feel represented by either side.”