Louis Theroux’s latest documentary has left parents seething, just one year after the release of Adolescence.
The documentary maker has released Inside The Manosphere, which sees Theroux speak with social media stars and content creators who are part of the ‘manosphere’ as he explores the impact of online misogyny and toxic influences on young boys.
Theroux, 55, reveals how extremist influencers are manipulating young boys with horrific ideas surrounding masculinity while interviewing the likes of Harrison Sullivan (HSTikkyTokky), Ed Matthews, Myron Gaines, Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy (Sneako), and Justin Waller.
Although Theroux admits he wasn’t inspired by it, the release comes one year after the widespread impact of Netflix’s drama series Adolescence, which told the story of a 13-year-old boy who brutally murders his classmate after becoming influenced by online misogyny.
Worried parents have now shared their fears after tuning into the 90-minute-long film, which was released on Netflix on Wednesday.
@ChristinaDempsey shared: ‘One of the hardest watches. Theroux is a stellar documentary maker as usual, but the subject matter was tough. I really hope it shines a light on this dangerous thinking.’
@simone_d12 wrote: ‘Watched it today, it was uncomfortable watching. Great documentary but it makes me worry about the type of world my little boy will grow up in.’
Theroux, who is a father of three boys aged 20, 18, and 11, was inspired to create the film after hearing about self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate through them.
The documentary sheds light on the disturbing content young people are consuming online through social media platforms who are promoting the men he interviews.
‘I think as a parent you hope that your influence will outweigh whatever they’re being fed online, but truthfully they probably spend more hours looking at their phones than they do talking to us and we don’t always know what they’re looking at,’ Theroux says.
Others described the film as ‘hard to watch’, with fayecopp1985 adding: ‘Watching this now and I am speechless. As a mum of four boys it is terrifying.’
Some parents weren’t able to finish the documentary out of pure frustration over the subject matter. As @JohnnyLaird remarked: ‘I only lasted a few minutes. Louis Theroux is excellent, but I couldn’t cope with the universe he was exploring in this one.’
In the film, the participants reveal how they ‘coach’ young boys online by providing fitness and financial tips.
British influencer Sullivan tells Theroux: ‘I coach boys how to be f**king boys, how to make money, how to be outside the system, how to not have a boss telling you want to do.
‘I teach guys to be proper boys and not gimps that walk around in the modern world.’
Sullivan, 24, has more than 300,000 followers and 2.2 million likes on TikTok, hit headlines last year after avoiding jail for crashing his McLaren in Virginia Water, Surrey, in March 2024.
The social media star was extradited from Spain and later sentenced to a one-year suspended custodial sentence after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
His remarks are concerning following a 2025 YouGov poll which suggested one in eight Gen Z men (aged 14-29) have a ‘favourable view’ of Andrew Tate.
In addition, an increasing number of young women and girls feel unsafe online, with 77% of those aged 7-21 experiencing online harm in the past year.
Sounding worried about his interview subject’s influence, Louis told the Mirror: ‘These aren’t figures on the margins – anyone who’s got kids, and especially boys, will know that they are making inroads into the culture. Their influence is being felt in schools, in the workplace and all across the internet.
‘These aren’t figures on the margins – anyone who’s got kids, and especially boys, will know that they are making inroads into the culture. Their influence is being felt in schools, in the workplace and all across the internet.’
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