Louis Theroux has admitted he felt ‘emotionally exposed’ and even ‘out of his depth’ while filming his unsettling new documentary exploring the toxic online subculture known as the manosphere.
The 55-year-old broadcaster confronts a network of controversial male influencers in Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere, examining how social media personalities are spreading extreme ideas about masculinity, relationships, and women to millions of young followers.
Speaking on the Honesty Box, Theroux explained that entering the world of online ‘alpha male’ influencers felt unfamiliar and risky.
‘For me, as an older man, to be in there, the strangeness of that,’ he said. ‘The sense of the risk-taking of me being somewhat exposed emotionally and to sort of get out of my depth.’
He added that stepping into uncomfortable situations remains one of the main reasons he continues to make documentaries after decades in the industry.
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‘That’s what gets me excited about making programmes – where I’m taking risks,’ he said.
The film explores the darker edges of the manosphere, a loose ecosystem of online communities built around hyper-masculine ideology and hostility toward feminism.
Theroux said some influencers operate in fairly mainstream spaces such as podcasts or comedy content, but others push far more extreme messages.
‘At the deep end, it’s these guys who put out fully poisonous or kind of bigoted content,’ he said. ‘Why women are rubbish, shouldn’t be allowed to vote and shouldn’t be allowed to drive, and why men should be having sex with hundreds of women while women should be virgins.’
He described the ideology promoted by some figures in the space as ‘almost like medieval views’.
The phenomenon has exploded across social media in recent years, with controversial influencer Andrew Tate becoming one of its most recognisable faces.
Theroux has previously revealed he first discovered Tate through conversations with his own children, which prompted him to look more closely at the growing movement.
‘As a parent I’m obviously concerned,’ he said. ‘It would be easy to say “oh well, they don’t take it too seriously”, but at a certain point, a joke is no longer a joke – especially when it’s unchallenged and repeated.’
In the documentary, Theroux meets several creators who openly share misogynistic views and build lucrative online brands around controversy and outrage.
During filming he was also subjected to antisemitic comments on camera, making some moments particularly uncomfortable.
Reflecting on the project, he said the film felt particularly timely given the influence of online culture today.
‘I’m very proud of my new film,’ he said. ‘It feels very of the moment.’
Theroux also addressed concerns that documenting extreme groups could inadvertently amplify their message, saying filmmakers cannot control how audiences interpret what they see.
‘I’m not responsible for how everyone who sees the film responds,’ he said. ‘If tens of millions of people watch something, some people are going to react in unexpected ways.’
The journalist has built his career confronting controversial figures, including disgraced TV star Jimmy Savile, whom he has previously described as the worst person he ever met.
However, he admitted there was one subject he chose not to pursue because of genuine safety concerns.
Theroux said he once considered making a documentary about Islamic State but ultimately decided against it.
‘I genuinely wouldn’t have felt safe going out there either for me or for my team,’ he said.
‘For me as a student of the human condition and kind of organized forms of organized madness, it felt like the best example, you know, the most horrific, but also the most flagrant example of our rampant, almost contagious irrationality.’
Even after decades exploring fringe movements and confronting uncomfortable ideologies, Theroux suggested the manosphere remains one of the most unsettling worlds he has stepped into.
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