Louis Theroux’s manosphere documentary is his most chilling yet

‘I’d disown my son if he came out as gay,’ TikTok influencer Harrison Sullivan AKA HSTikkyTokky proudly declares.

It’s just one of many nauseating remarks made during Louis Theroux’s 90-minute deep dive into the world of the ultra-misogynistic manosphere, an ecosystem of online communities that spreads harmful opposition to feminism.

Louis, who has departed his usual home on the BBC for his glossy Netflix debut, was inspired to shine a spotlight on the dark underbelly of the group after discovering the so-called King of Toxic Masculinity, Andrew Tate, through his three sons.

‘I had no idea who he was,’ Theroux, 55, admits.

He suspects Tate wanted to take part in the film, but was ultimately nervous.

‘As a parent I’m obviously concerned. It would be easy to say ”oh well, they don’t take it too seriously”, but at a certain point, a joke is no longer a joke – especially when it’s unchallenged and repeated.’

Challenge is exactly what Theroux does with the controversial subjects of his film, but they won’t change their ways for anyone – not even their own mothers.

I met Theroux in 2018 and found it hard to imagine such a gentle giant possesses such a dark back catalogue of documentaries exploring seedy subcultures, as well as the lives of neo-Nazis, notorious killers, and Jimmy Savile, but he always remains self-deprecating even in the face of the very worst of humanity. It’s true that his awkwardness is off the charts.

While Theroux is considered one of the world’s greatest documentarians, his trademark of being a remarkable listener and gentle provocateur doesn’t rattle these antifeminist influencers, who will undoubtedly leave your blood boiling.

Admittedly, I had only heard of HSTikkyTokky and his wide-eyed counterpart Ed Matthews, who have taken over algorithms in the UK with promises to coach young men on how to be ‘proper boys’ through dodgy trading tips and Telegram subscriptions offering explicit content.

The American subjects, Myron Gaines, Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy (known online as Sneako), and Justin Waller, are equally as problematic for all of the same reasons and then some.

They all come across as so disturbingly convincing at their craft that it’s easy to understand why young boys are infatuated with these hypermasculine men. And parents, like Theroux, are right to be terrified.

In one scene, boys who look as young as 10 are seen chanting ‘f**k women!’ and ‘all gays should die’ alongside their ‘king’ Sneako, 27, a political commentator and social media personality who was once banned from YouTube for promoting violent, misogynistic content.

Gaines and Waller are both supported by the women in their lives who egg on their behaviour in return for a ‘relaxed’ life. This is all despite several of the men thinking women shouldn’t be allowed to vote and sex workers, some of whom they profit from online, are ‘repulsive’.

Gaines, a suave sportscar-driving ‘success coach’ who mingles with Donald Trump, gives Theroux an exclusive look inside his personal life, which, without knowing anything about him, looks perfect. A pristine mansion, adorable kids, and a beautiful wife.

But he quickly explains that he’s in a ‘one-sided monogamous relationship’, where he can sleep with as many women as he wants, but the mother of his children can’t speak to other men.

‘I like to tell people we have lanes,’ Kristen admits. ‘My lane is changing diapers, cooking, and cleaning, and his lane is working and providing. It works for us.’

A startling reality given a recent study found 31% of Gen Z men agree that a wife should always obey her husband, compared to 29% of Millennial men, 21% of Gen X men, and 13% of Boomer men.

While the participants in the film all share the same deep mistrust of Theroux and the mainstream media, they refuse to be labelled as misogynistic because they actually ‘love’ women. ‘And since I understand them, I know what is best for them,’ Gaines boasts.

Theroux attributes association with the manosphere with broken childhoods (Sullivan’s single mum worked six-day weeks to put him through private school, while Gaines was nearly put into foster care). You’d have to dig pretty deep to find even an ounce of sympathy.

It’s not just the anti-woman rhetoric and resentment which is folded into the film. The racism is so casual within the manosphere that it’ll make you see red.

I’ve never seen Theroux confronted in such a vicious way within his own territory — and while the cameras are rolling. Amid all the discussions of misogyny, homophobia, and pornography, the most uncomfortable part is seeing him subjected to vile antisemitic comments. They aren’t thinly veiled remarks – they’re blatant and they sting even the viewer.

It’s like seeing a group of teenagers gang up on your dad.

The empath in every viewer will hope that the behaviour of the manosphere is smoke and mirrors for a bigger issue at play – the copious amounts of money the men are earning online simply by misbehaving.

These days rage bait is lucrative. Social media platforms reward strong emotional responses, encouraging creators to produce content that incites rage – and Sullivan knows exactly that all too well.

‘Call me a misogynist, call my homophobic, call me a scammer – I’m all those things,’ he brags.

In spite of Theroux’s best efforts to understand and confront the warped views of the manosphere, it almost seems redundant to even bother trying.

These men are lining their pockets by selling vulnerable boys a dream, and they certainly won’t back down in the face of any criticism.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere premieres globally on Netflix on March 11.

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