“A lot of people that were in that space are now in politics.”

Genre: Fascinating Documentaries About Icky People
Release Date: 2026
Where I Watched: Netflix

Gist: Award winning documentarian Louis Theroux takes a look at the Manosphere, and several of the men leading this controversial movement.

Gotta say: Yes, Theroux is a respected documentarian. But my favorite thing about him is this song. Which absolutely SLAPS. His ability to plant his tongue firmly in cheek, while slyly commenting on our world without actually saying anything specific is a brand of journalistic humor I enjoy the hell out of. But Manosphere was too much for me. Not because the documentarian didn’t do a good job, but because he may have been too good; I walked away from this film nauseated, and sad for the state of our world today.

Theroux’s ability to give his subjects just enough rope to hang themselves has always been present in his world. My Scientology Movie, and his When Louis Met… series has the presenter let his subjects talk, only asking questions occasionally. The same tactic is used here, with some of the most controversial proponents of the manosphere. The juxtaposition between their public personas and their private lives isn’t 180, but seeing them when they’re not actively live-streaming shows men who are desperately trying to be relevant, to keep and gain followers, all to boost their own bank accounts. I’m don’t care about the manosphere dudes, so names? I didn’t make note; you can hit up IMDb if you’re curious. And I’m not gonna give these asshats any more visibility than they already have.

Sexism, homophobia. transphobia, racism, and misogyny, are dropped without thought, or care. And these guys are making bank, thanks to men and boys who are so alienated from the world that they’re happily forming parasocial relationships to horrible people. And these manosphere gurus are using that bond to push the hapless into crypto schemes, “training” seminars, and other iffy rackets. A scene where Theroux interviews a few guys who followed one of the influencers shows two men who are desperate for hope, whose hard lives have had them gravitate toward messages that actively go against their best interests, in the guise of being “in” on the “real deal”. All the while, these manosphere “leaders” push traditional values – masculine men, subservient, virginal women – while practicing “one-sided monogamy” and treating women like garbage. Not to mention profiting off women who make money on OnlyFans or other such sites. The air around them is thick with hypocrisy, yet nobody seems to grasp the dissonance. Or at least nobody giving these streamers money seems to.

Theroux asks about the rationalizations these guys make every single time they open their mouths. And when he does, the guys inevitably call foul. “See? Here we go. Here we go. Setting me up.” (After asking for a definition of one-sided monogamy.) “You do seem to be digging.” (After an influencer if he has a family.) And, of course multiple versions of, “People think we don’t like women. I love women!” (Spouted off without Theroux having to say a thing.) And I haven’t even gotten into the anti-Semitism and homophobia rampant not only in these influencers’ social media, but during these interviews. There’s even a moment when one influencer and his cronies literally beat a man to the ground simply because that man – who was gay – believed he was meeting another gay man. It was a setup, just to beat him up. Sure, the influencer says this behavior has never happened before, but there’s a feeling it’s happened many times in the past.

The gross, icky feeling I got was part disgust at what they were spouting to their followers, part gloomy wonder at how they could balance their often disparate off-camera personalities. Or if they do. There’s a part of me that wonders if they’ll be disgusted with themselves later in life. Based on what’s going on now? Probably not. None of them can move past their conspiracy of hate. Is it because that’s what they truly believe? Or is it that they know their viewers will move to another talking head if the message changes? With my own emotional mélange of disgust, anger, and heartbreak after watching this? I can’t hazard a guess.

Theroux is simply too good at getting these men to drop their guard and reveal themselves. Or, conversely, to let clips of those men’s social media garbage do the talking for them. It’s horrific. I feel dirty and disgusted. Don’t think I’ll ever be able to watch this one again.

Come for: An in-depth look at several of the leaders in this area, and what’s really going on in their lives.
Stay for:  An endurance test of disgusting behavior and hideous verbal garbage.