Louis Theroux has explained why he 'doesn't dislike' HSTikkyTokky after exposing him in his new Netflix documentary.
The legendary journalist, who recently revealed the worst person he's ever met, visited a wide range of influencers and content creators within the toxic group known as the 'manosphere'.
Clips of the two clashing went viral before the documentary even dropped, and the creator, whose real name is Harrison Sullivan, has even deleted the vast majority of his Instagram posts after the documentary went live.
Although Theroux has highlighted some of the dangerous content and ideas that Sullivan promotes, even comparing him to Bonnie Blue at one point in the documentary, he's now insisted that he doesn't dislike him.
Advert
While speaking on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, the 55-year-old was asked for his personal opinions on the Kick streamer, who regularly films himself harassing women and sharing homophobic and sexist views online.
He replied: "I wouldn't say I disliked him. I think a lot about these things, probably too much. My reactions in that journalistic sphere are more complicated than 'I like him' or 'I didn't like him'. Sorry to be really cheese pairing but there were parts of him I liked and parts of him I didn't, to be honest."
He later adds: "There's a lot of good content, and nobody's got a problem with the good content. He's hard working, he looks good, he's got charisma, he's a talented broadcaster. So I can acknowledge all of those things, I don't have a problem with any of those things."
After a brief discussion about the way in which Sullivan has earned his millions from 'humble beginnings', Theroux also noted how Sullivan's private school education has done little to stop him from adopting widely controversial views.
Theroux added: "He had a good education, so it's complicated. There's a real work ethic there. But how meaningful is it to have a good work ethic if you're just spending hours and hours spewing offensive pick-up lines to girls on a beach front in Marbella?"
Sullivan is the first person that Theroux visits in the documentary, with the interviewer also heading to speak with the likes of Myron Gaines, Ed Matthews and Sneako, all of whom have grown their online presence thanks to their controversial views on women.
Theroux has also issued a warning after the documentary went live, especially to parents with young children and how they can avoid their sons and daughters accessing content such as this online.
He told Tudum: “It would be easy to say; ‘oh well, they don't take it too seriously’, which a lot of the time I think they don't, but at a certain point, a joke is no longer a joke - especially when it's unchallenged and repeated.
So we try to stay on top of what they're watching and try to have conversations with them about it, but it's hard.”
And he chillingly added: “As a parent you hope that your influence will outweigh whatever they're being fed online. But truthfully, they spend many more hours on their phones than they do with us, and we don’t always know what they’re looking at.”
Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is available to watch on Netflix now.
Topics: Bonnie Blue, Louis Theroux, Netflix, HSTikkyTokky
James Moorhouse