Chris Pratt Addresses Controversial Rumors About His Church

Chris Pratt has been previously been scrutinized on social media over his apparent connection to the celebrity church known as Hillsong. Hillsong has been criticized for being anti-LGBTQ+, and then Pratt was also subject to scrutiny due to his apparent association. The Thor: Love and Thunder star previously went on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where he casually discussed his faith and was then called out by fellow actor and Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page. Pratt would later issue a statement where he denied accusations of being anti-LGBTQ+. During a new interview with Mens Health, he pushed back on the accusations and claimed he never actually attended Hillsong church.

“I never went to Hillsong. I’ve never actually been to Hillsong. I don’t know anyone from that church.” Pratt revealed before being asked why he didn’t mention that at the time. “I’m gonna, like, throw a church under the bus? If it’s like the Westboro Baptist Church, that’s different.”

The interview notes Pratt’s connection with Zoe Church, another group that has come under scrutiny, though the actor denies exclusively attending their services and noted his daughter was baptized at his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger’s favorite church.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn also defended Pratt on social media recently, stating that he is infuriated over the accusations people have made about the actor online. Gunn praised Pratt as a person and as a father and denied that the actor harbors hateful beliefs toward the LGBTQ+ community.

Chris Pratt can be seen on the big screen next in Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder. Pratt is returning as Peter Quill/Star Lord and the film looks absolutely bonkers. The actor will star opposite the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy as well as Chris Hemsworth. Thor and Star-Lord clash a lot while on screen, so you would think that this would happen a lot off camera, but it’s actually the opposite. Pratt praised his costar in a recent interview with SFX Magazine, where he revealed that he loves working with the actor. 

“I love being able to work with Chris Hemsworth,” Pratt told the magazine. “He is like Thor in real life. He’s the sweetest dude. Super-funny. Works so hard. It was great. I loved every minute of shooting [Thor 4]. I’m so grateful that they brought us along. It was neat to see him bring this to Australia and shoot it there, with all of his fellow countrymen. And with director Taika Waititi, who is just outrageous. His style is so unique.”

Thor: Love and Thunder hits theaters on July 8th 2022.