Chris Pratt pilloried with bizarre backlash after he gushes over his 'healthy daughter,' issues classy, faith-based statements in days following outcry
Actor Chris Pratt has seemingly spoken out about the immense backlash he received for daring to refer to his infant daughter as "beautiful" and "healthy."
What's a brief history here?
Over the weekend, outspoken Christian Pratt, 42, took fire after an Instagram post in which he lauded his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, for providing him with love, a wonderful life, and a "gorgeous, healthy" daughter.
Schwarzenegger gave birth to Lyla, the couple's first child, in 2020.
Pratt shared the offending photo on Instagram, which he captioned:
Guys. For real. Look how she's looking at me! I mean. Find you somebody that looks at you like that!! You know!? We met in church. She's given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter, she chews so loudly that sometimes I put in my ear buds to drown it out, but that's love! She helps me with everything. In return, periodically, I open a jar of pickles. That's the trade. Her heart is pure and it belongs to me. My greatest treaters right next to my Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck rookie card. Which if you know, you know is saying a lot. It's her birthday in about 6 weeks. So if I don't get her anything, I'll tell her to look back on this post. Love you honey.
What was the response?
Many social media users criticized Pratt's post, insisting that he ought not to have said that since his son — 9-year-old Jack, a child he shares with ex-wife Anna Faris — was born with a series of health complications.
According to the New York Post, one user snapped, "You do know you have a son, right? Should he also be a greatest treasure?"
Another added, "For me it was the emphasis on 'healthy child' like your firstborn is lesser in your eyes. You need to go read that sentence thru HIS eyes & apologize to him bcuz [sic] your wording was cruel dude."
"Chris Pratt has a kid with Anna Farris [sic] who suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during birth and now has slight physical disabilities because of it," another irate social media user wrote. "But he made sure to write 'healthy daughter' here. Chris Pratt is a dick."
Elsewhere in the comments section, one user sniped, "I notice the emphasis on her 'giving' you a 'healthy' child. It seems your first child wasn't good enough."
"WOW! Forgot your boy already," another user complained.
How did Pratt respond?
In a series of Instagram stories, Pratt on Friday said that he went to bed the previous evening feeling "upset and depressed" and woke up "feeling crappy" as a result.
To clear his head, Pratt said he opted for a run in the woods and a good Christian music playlist.
He said, "I knew if I put on my Christian music playlist and I got out in the woods and ran that I'd feel better. But I just didn't want to."
Pratt went for the run anyway and said that he was glad he made the decision.
"Gosh was I right!" he mused. "It felt amazing! God sat there right next to me."
Pratt added that the experience left him emotional and that he felt God's presence while he was "in the fire."
"That moment really captured me," he said. "And so I just want to say, all glory to God!"
Pratt concluded, "Get some exercise, maybe listen to some good worship music and maybe get the Word in, because it really helped me this morning."
Chris Pratt Gets Blowback Over Tribute to His Wife www.youtube.com
Anything else to know?
Pratt's mother-in-law, Maria Shriver, also spoke out in Pratt's defense in the comments section of the original post.
She wrote, "I want to remind you today what a good man you are and what a great father you are to jack and lyla ... what a great husband you are to Katherine ... what a great son-in-law you are to me and what a great sense of humor you have."
"Rise above the noise," Shriver added. "Your family loves you. What a beautiful life. I'm proud of you."