When Anna Faris mentioned on a podcast that her 14-year-old son Jack is “religious,” she added the word with an audible cringe—and the moment has become a flashpoint in a broader cultural argument about how Hollywood treats faith, according to a new commentary in American Thinker.
On Thursday’s episode of Chelsea Handler’s podcast Dear Chelsea, the 49-year-old actress was asked about parenting and life at home. She praised Jack as emotionally “solid as a tugboat” and said he handles situations well, but then added an uncomfortable caveat: “He is… religious.”
The comment, as reported by the outlet The Blast, drew immediate reaction from fans—much of it aimed at her ex-husband, actor Chris Pratt. According to the report, many fans “blame Chris Pratt for her son’s beliefs,” and “much of the criticism” landed on Pratt. Others, meanwhile, cautioned against writing off the teenager, with several users recalling that they held conservative or religious views as teens before changing later in life.
Conservative commentator Eric Utter, writing for American Thinker, seized on the episode as evidence of a double standard in Hollywood. “No wonder Faris is uncomfortable!” he wrote, mocking the idea that a well-adjusted teen’s faith should be a source of parental alarm. He contrasted the reaction with how Hollywood typically celebrates other identities—gay, trans, Muslim, communist, even “a lake trout”—while treating Christianity as something shameful or even hateful.
Utter’s piece, titled “Hollywood blights,” goes further, comparing the entertainment industry to a “figurative screwworm” that, like academia, has “parasitized” the United States. He accuses the “tolerant, inclusive, and welcoming mob” of harshly judging pro-life Christians and MAGA supporters as “Nazis,” “deplorables,” and “garbage,” while excusing or even praising those who hold other views—including, he says, support for figures like Lindsay Clancy.
The commentary is overtly partisan and provocative, but it also taps into a recurring cultural debate: Is there a bias against religious faith, particularly Christianity, in Hollywood? Critics have long pointed to the entertainment industry’s secular leanings, while defenders note that many faith-based films and actors of faith have found success.
Faris herself has not commented publicly beyond the podcast remarks. Her representative did not respond to requests for comment from American Thinker.
The episode highlights how a single parental aside can become a proxy for larger cultural battles. For Utter, Faris’s discomfort is not just a personal parenting moment—it’s a symptom of a society that has its priorities upside down. “Murdering fetuses, babies, young kids, the terminally ill, and the elderly are all fine,” he writes, sarcastically. “Being a pro-life, Christian, MAGA member will lead you to be called a Nazi.”
Whether or not one shares Utter’s political conclusions, the reaction to Faris’s comment—and the speed with which it became a story—suggests that faith remains a third rail in celebrity culture. The phrase “He is religious” was delivered as a kind of confession, and that, many conservatives argue, is telling in itself.
As one fan on social media put it, the double standard is hard to miss: a celebrity can announce a conversion to Islam or a new gender identity and be celebrated, but a teenager’s quiet Christian faith becomes a cause for concern.
Utter ends his piece with a broader point about free speech: “Now more than ever, the ability to speak our minds is crucial to the republic we cherish.” It’s a familiar refrain from the right, but in this case, it’s applied to a 14-year-old’s personal beliefs.
For now, the story remains a minor celebrity item—but it’s also a reminder that in Hollywood, “coming out” as religious can still be the most controversial identity of all.
Source: www.americanthinker.com — https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/hollywood-blights/