Louis Theroux, the celebrated British-American documentarian known for his willingness to dive into society’s most controversial corners, has once again found himself at the epicenter of a cultural storm. His latest Netflix documentary, Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, released on March 13, 2026, takes viewers deep into the online world of the so-called "manosphere"—a digital landscape dominated by male influencers who peddle a heady mix of fitness, business, self-improvement, and, most alarmingly, misogyny.
The manosphere isn’t exactly new, but Theroux’s documentary shines a light on just how entrenched and lucrative this toxic ecosystem has become. As reported by The Guardian, the film introduces audiences to a cast of notorious internet personalities, including British fitness and cryptocurrency influencer Harrison Sullivan (better known as HSTikkyTokky), “success coach” Justin Waller, and podcaster Myron Gaines (Amrou Fudl), author of the 2023 book Why Women Deserve Less. These men have amassed millions of followers—and, by extension, millions of dollars—by espousing views that reduce women to little more than sexual objects and promote a worldview where only men are entitled to stray in relationships.
The most infamous figure in this space, Andrew Tate, looms large over the documentary, though he never actually appears on screen. According to Theroux, this wasn’t for lack of effort. In a candid interview on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Theroux recounted his year-long attempt to secure Tate’s participation. “The biggest guy in the space, in that whole manosphere community, is Andrew Tate, and when we started on it, I thought we might get Andrew Tate,” Theroux explained. But Tate’s demands for payment and his withering assessment of Theroux’s relevance—"Well, why would I talk to you, you’re not relevant anymore"—put an end to negotiations. Tate even showed Theroux a Google search trend graph, proudly noting how his own popularity dwarfed that of the filmmaker. Theroux, ever the sport, later joked, “I’m literally more relevant than you are,” after noticing a shift in the trends.
Despite Tate’s absence, his influence permeates every frame of the documentary. As The Guardian points out, the film is awash with “grifting copycats singing from the Andrew Tate hymn book.” The manosphere’s core talking points—the so-called “attention economy,” the concept of “red-pilling” borrowed from The Matrix, and a steady undercurrent of antisemitism, homophobia, and outright misogyny—are all given ample airtime. The documentary’s style, a collision of Theroux’s old-school documentary techniques and the influencers’ lawless livestreaming, exposes the generational and ideological chasm between the filmmaker and his subjects. Theroux is repeatedly subjected to taunts and ridicule from the influencers’ online audiences, a dynamic that underscores just how hostile and performative this corner of the internet has become.
Theroux’s approach remains rooted in his trademark curiosity and restraint. “My view is always I’m not trying to embarrass them or trick them in any way. I am trying to tell the truth, and I will confront them appropriately. I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m just trying to understand them, get my questions answered, and then challenge and push back on the parts that don’t make sense to me or strike me as dangerous,” Theroux told Hello! magazine. He added, “At the end of the day, I’m trying to make TV that engages people—so a few fireworks don’t go amiss and some raised voices or a sense of menace is actually quite helpful.”
But not everyone featured in the documentary is happy with how they came across. Myron Gaines, one of the most prominent manosphere streamers in the film, has launched a public counterattack. In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter) and a marathon seven-hour livestream, Gaines accused Theroux of “selectively editing and framing the footage to push a clear agenda, conveniently omitting key context and moments that would have told the full, unfiltered story.” Gaines claimed that a debate about antisemitic views involving Hitler was left on the cutting room floor and lambasted Theroux as a “left-leaning journalist” who specializes in “talking to Conservatives and taking what they say out of context.” Despite promising to release additional footage that would supposedly vindicate his position, Gaines did not share any such material during his broadcast.
The documentary has provoked strong reactions from viewers, particularly women. Some have found the content so disturbing that they’ve been unable to watch. As one writer shared on Substack, “It's triggering, upsetting and deeply, deeply disturbing; and I just don’t think my mental health can hack it. For women who are all too familiar with not only how these toxic men operate but the tangible effects it has on us at large, it’s akin to trauma exposure.” Others have praised Theroux’s work as both “brilliant” and “horrendous,” a testament to the documentary’s ability to both inform and unsettle.
Theroux’s efforts to reveal the vulnerability beneath the bravado—touching on unstable childhoods and absent fathers—provide some nuance, but the overriding impression is one of a culture that’s calcified into self-parody. As The Guardian notes, “There’s little new here, just more grifting copycats singing from the Andrew Tate hymn book.” The shock value, once potent, has faded as public awareness of the manosphere’s dangers has grown.
Still, the documentary’s release is timely, coming as Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan face multiple criminal allegations in Romania related to human trafficking and sexual exploitation—charges they deny. The specter of their legal troubles hovers over the film, a stark reminder of the real-world consequences that can stem from online extremism.
Theroux’s journey took him from Marbella to New York and Miami, offering a global snapshot of the manosphere’s reach. He was even challenged by the mother of HSTikkyTokky, who, in a memorable scene, admonished both her son and Theroux himself: “If you don’t agree with what Harrison is doing, then why are you making money off it?” It’s a question that lingers, underscoring the complicated ethics of documenting toxic subcultures for mass consumption.
In the end, Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere stands as a testament to the persistence of online misogyny and the challenges of confronting it. While the film may not break new ground for those already familiar with the manosphere, it brings the disturbing reality of this digital underworld into sharp relief, inviting viewers to grapple with questions of complicity, accountability, and the price of attention in the internet age.