The Best Chris Debate

Submission 20,749

About

The Best Chris, also known as The Best Hollywood Chris, refers to a cultural debate over which celebrity with the first name Chris is the public's favorite. These Chrises include Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt.

Origin

The debate over the "Hollywood Chrises" began in the early 2010s, following the rise of the actors Chris Pine (Star Trek), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy). While the debate over the Chrises likely took place offline prior to its emergence as a cultural conversation, Twitter ^[1] user @wednesdaydreams posted the earliest available mention of the debate on November 28th, 2014 (shown below). They wrote, "now they're arguing 'which is the best Chris: Pine, Evans, Hemsworth, Pratt?'"

Spread

The following year, media outlets began reporting on the Chrises regularly. On April 23rd, 2015, Esquire^[2] published "Which Hollywood Chris Is Which?" They wrote:

On the face of it, four actors with the same first names all supporting big, summer tentpole movies is strange enough. Even stranger, though, are their physically similarities. From their gym-honed physiques (all have bodies carved out of sunshine and granite), square jaws complete with light stubble, dark blonde hair and clear green or piercing blue eyes, it seems as though all four Chrises were selected from the same box that simply read "Movie Star 101".

Headlines like Esquire's continued over the next few years. On August 1st, 2016, Odyssey^[3] published "Battle Of The Chrises," and on September 17th, 2016, PopSugar^[4] published "Sexy Stars Named Chris Are Stealing the Hollywood Spotlight."

On May 6th, 2017, Chris Pine hosted Saturday Night Live. During his monologue, he joked about the debate and the differences between the Chrises. The post received more than 2.6 million views in less than four years (shown below).

The debate also became a popular subject of jokes online. On February 16th, 2018, Tumblr ^[5] user mellygrant shared two GIFs of Evans and Hemsworth saying Pratt was the best Chris. They captioned the GIFs, "When the Chrises have a meeting and declare the one true Superior Chris." The post received more than 235,000 notes in less than three years (shown below, left).

On August 20th, Twitter^[6] user @FionaUnderhill tweeted two pictures of Hemsworth and Evans on the phone, with a caption dramatizing their conversation over who is the better Chris. The post received more than 48,000 likes and 18,000 retweets in less than three years (shown below, right).

Chris Pratt Defense

On October 17th, 2020, TV writer Amy Berg tweeted^[7] pictures of the four Chrises with the caption, "One has to go." The tweet received more than 14,000 retweets and 10,000 likes in less than one month (shown below).

Many responded to the tweet by choosing Pratt, stating that they disagree with Pratt's supposed republican politics and affiliation to a church that allegedly holds anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs (examples below).^[8]

Pratt's Avengers co-stars, including Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana defended the actor on social media. Downey Jr.'s post received more than 3 million likes on Instagram ^[9] (shown below, left). Ruffalo, who tweeted,^[10] "You all,
@prattprattpratt is as solid a man there is. I know him personally, and instead of casting aspersions, look at how he lives his life. He is just not overtly political as a rule. This is a distraction. Let’s keep our eyes on the prize, friends. We are so close now," received more than 47,000 likes and 10,000 retweets (shown below, center). Saldana tweeted,^[11] "No matter how hard it gets, stick your chest out, keep your head up and handle it. -Tupac You got this @prattprattpratt. Your family, friends, colleagues & everyone who’s ever crossed paths with you knows your heart and your worth!" The tweet received more than 10,000 likes and 7,800 retweets in less than two days (shown below, right).