The 10 Most Shocking Moments in Louis Theroux: Inside The Manosphere

For too long, the ‘manosphere’ has been this murky, dark underbelly of the Internet that we’ve tried really hard to ignore. All a lot of people knew was that it was a highly misogynistic online space that spawned the likes of accused human trafficker Andrew Tate. 

Then, Adolescence came out, and everything changed. For the first time, the devastating consequences the manosphere was having on young, developing minds felt all too pertinent. 

With recent statistics showing that almost a third of Gen Z men believe a woman should obey her husband, it is becoming increasingly clear that the manosphere may well be poisoning the next generation of men, so Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

I’ll admit, it’s an uncomfortable watch at times, but, in my opinion, it’s highly necessary. Here are the most shocking parts, and fair warning: discussions of extreme misogyny (and other forms of bigotry) are naturally, and unfortunately, ahead.

1. The Double Standards of ‘One-Sided Monogamy’

Manosphere influencers Justin Waller and Myron Gaines were proponents of the idea of ‘one-sided monogamy,’ which, in short, involves the men sleeping with whoever they want while the women remain faithful. Adding to this discomfort is the moment when Waller’s partner, Lisa, describes their relationship in terms of “lanes” — she does the cleaning and diapers, he is the provider. Waller refers to Lisa as his “wife,” but they are unmarried. 

What makes these statements especially ironic is when, later in the documentary, fellow influencer Harrison ‘Hstikkytokky’ Sullivan said that he would want to marry a virgin. Meanwhile, he spent his evenings flirting with women in Marbella and distributed a video of a woman giving him oral sex. 

2. The Treatment of Sex Workers

Both Gaines and Sullivan profit off sex workers. Gaines invited OnlyFans models onto his podcast, seemingly with the intention of insulting them with tools like the ‘Female Delusion Calculator,’ while Sullivan actively works with sex workers by promoting their content on his Telegram channel and even setting up his own sex worker content house. 

However, he also only disparages women who do OnlyFans, demonstrating how, while they don’t mind using sex workers for financial gain, they clearly don’t respect them. More double standards.

3. ‘Predator’ Stings

Another recurring theme throughout the documentary is the ‘predator stings’ these influencers pull off. Creator Ed Matthews bragged about how he once made a ‘predator’ eat dog food on camera, but the most shocking part came when Sullivan and his entourage arranged to meet a middle-aged man for a ‘date’ before violently attacking him as they streamed it live. 

While Sullivan claimed that he deleted the video shortly after the broadcast, Theroux claimed that Sullivan’s team had clipped several moments from the stream and posted them online.

4. The Scary Misinformation About DNA

During Gaines’ podcast, Theroux was stunned when they peddled the claim that a woman keeps the DNA of every partner she has slept with in her body, which can lead to children being born looking like an ex-partner rather than the actual father. 

5. Conspiracy Theories About… Satanism?

Towards the end of the documentary, Theroux interviewed another infamous manosphere content creator known as Sneako. Things soon took a bizarre turn when Sneako showed Theroux a magazine cover with a woman covering one eye, and went on a rant about how this was a symbol of Satanism. He then went on to claim that Satanists run the world, and claimed Sam Smith also worshipped the devil.

6. The Rampant Antisemitism, Racism, Homophobia, and Misogyny

Pretty much every kind of hate speech you can think of was repeatedly spouted on that show. Sullivan called his female friend a “dishwasher” and said that he would disown his son if he turned out gay. Matthews claimed that “the Jews” run the world and referred to a Black woman as “dark chocolate.” 

7. The Manosphere Fandom

One of the most disturbing aspects of the documentary was the level of fans these influencers had. Several times, these creators were stopped by admirers who asked for photos in between fervently complimenting them. 

When Theroux spoke to two Waller fans in depth, it became apparent just how much manosphere content had influenced them. They both imitate the same hand gesture Tate does in interviews. Fan Mattie then went on to describe events like previously being homeless and his brother taking his own life before declaring that men are “meant to suffer.”

8. The Manosphere’s Proximity to Trump

A couple of these influencers also emphasised their connection to Donald Trump. Waller bragged about having dinner with Barron Trump, while Sneako revealed that he had been a supporter of Trump since 2015.  The creator also said that he should get credit for the US executive order, which declares that there are only two genders. This leaves us with the terrifying implication that these kinds of creators have a direct influence on politics.

9. The Silencing of Women

One downside of the documentary is that it didn’t feature a female perspective very much. But it soon became apparent why. When interviewing Gaines’ girlfriend, Angie, Theroux brought up Gaines’ ambition to have more than one wife. Angie looked visibly uncomfortable at the mention of this, and later in the show, Gaines made it clear that she wouldn’t be doing interviews anymore, claiming it was a joint decision. 

This pattern continued later in the documentary when, after speaking to Theroux, podcast booker Icy got a text from Gaines telling her not to answer any more questions. Clearly, in the manosphere world, a woman’s perspective isn’t just devalued — it's actively censored. 

10. Dubious Money-Making Schemes

Part of Sullivan’s fortune comes from him encouraging people to put money into an investment scheme, with the promise that the money will quickly multiply. However, when Theroux invested £500 in one of these schemes, he ended up losing money rather than earning it. This is especially troubling when one considers how young his audience base is.