Reacher is woke, and the MAGA dads are not having it.
OK, that extremely silly collection of words could use some context. Earlier this month, The Hollywood Reporter published a feature about Ace Ventura-loving Reacher star Alan Ritchson, who called Donald Trump “a rapist and a con man.” The devout Christian also said he “can’t for one second support the Catholic Church while there are still cardinals, bishops and priests being passed around with known pedophilic tendencies.” This went over about as well as you might expect from the sunglasses-in-trucks crowd.
Ritchson recently responded to the MAGA backlash on X.
“Hey folks, I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter about people saying they won’t watch Reacher anymore because of something I did or said. Look, I get it, but let’s put things into perspective here. Am I supposed to prioritize my job over my personal beliefs?” he wrote. “The worst accusation thrown at me is that you won’t watch Reacher anymore. But come on, let’s keep it real. If you’re claiming to make morally sound choices, start by being honest. Don’t trade one form of wrongdoing for another. Remember, being a killer who doesn’t steal doesn’t automatically make you better than a thief.”
Hey folks, I’ve been seeing a lot of chatter about people saying they won’t watch “Reacher” anymore because of something I did or said. Look, I get it, but let’s put things into perspective here. Am I supposed to prioritize my job over my personal beliefs?
— Alan Ritchson (@Alanritchs) April 12, 2024
The worst accusation thrown at me is that you won’t watch “Reacher” anymore. But come on, let’s keep it real. If you’re claiming to make morally sound choices, start by being honest. Don’t trade one form of wrongdoing for another.
— Alan Ritchson (@Alanritchs) April 12, 2024
Remember, being a killer who doesn’t steal doesn’t automatically make you better than a thief.
— Alan Ritchson (@Alanritchs) April 12, 2024
Ritchson’s outspokenness about Trump and the church lost him a lot of followers, but he gained thousands of new fans, too. “My X account went through a major cleanse recently. Lost a bunch of followers about a week back, but gained over 5k new ones since then. Feels good to know my followers are quality people with a positive mindset, folks who aren’t afraid to confront their truth head-on and own it,” he wrote.
My X account went through a major cleanse recently. Lost a bunch of followers about a week back, but gained over 5k new ones since then. Feels good to know my followers are quality people with a positive mindset, folks who aren’t afraid to confront their truth head-on and own it.
— Alan Ritchson (@Alanritchs) April 15, 2024
Spoken like the “American James Bond.”