Louis Theroux defends featuring ‘Manosphere’ influencers in new Netflix documentary

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It’s been nearly a year since Louis Theroux‘s last documentary, and now he’s back with a new film for Netflix. This time, he’s investigating the ‘Manosphere’.

Over the course of a 90-minute journey, Louis Theroux visits Miami, New York, and Marbella to explore how social media influencers are changing what young men think about being masculine, and contributing to the growing men’s rights movement.

In this fascinating and unsettling documentary, Louis Theroux encounters Harrison Sullivan (also known as HS Tikky Tokky), Myron Gaines, Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy (Sneako), Justin Waller, and Ed Matthews. He spends time with them, observing their world and how they each view and challenge traditional ideas about gender and values.

While Paul Theroux strongly questions the beliefs of the people he interviews, some people are debating whether it’s ethical to give them a platform while also criticizing them.

In a recent interview about his documentary, Theroux explained he doesn’t like the word “platform” when describing how the film presents its subjects. He felt it was an awkward way to explain simply featuring people in a program.

You could simply have someone talk freely on a podcast, or you could create a more structured documentary where you provide background information, offer perspective, and ask challenging questions – which is the approach we prefer.

Theroux pointed out that a show focusing on creators of shocking material necessarily has to show the disturbing content itself and explain why it’s upsetting.

He explained that it makes sense for the movie to include carefully chosen scenes where the characters reveal their true beliefs.

This subject matter is new territory for Louis Theroux. He first became intrigued by it during the COVID-19 lockdown, a time when many people – including his own sons – started spending more time on social media.

Theroux explained his reasoning for pursuing the project, stating they wanted to leverage his ability to connect with people and immerse himself in different communities. This meant gaining access to the online world known as the ‘Manosphere’.

Being a dad to three boys, I’d already noticed the issue. Like many parents during lockdown, I came across Andrew Tate’s name in my kids’ social media feeds. It felt like this topic brought together a lot of my professional interests, and I’ve even joked that it’s the ultimate challenge I’ve faced in my career.

The content clearly includes hateful and prejudiced material targeting LGBTQ+ people, women, and various racial groups. It also features sexually suggestive themes and promotes a potentially harmful, cult-like worldview through its presentation.

I’ve always been fascinated by how people create identities for themselves, almost like inventing a character to fill an internal void. It felt natural and compelling to explore that idea in a film.

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Authors

Katelyn MensahSenior Entertainment Writer

Katelyn Mensah writes about entertainment for TopMob, covering everything from popular TV shows and reality competitions to important documentaries. Before joining TopMob, she worked at The Tab, where she focused on reality TV and celebrity news. She has a journalism degree.

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2026-03-11 18:11