Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere (2026)

Anyone who has been online for more than a few hours has probably come across the term “manosphere”. The manosphere, also known as “red pill” content, is a philosophy of ultra-masculine men who teach other young men how to accumulate wealth, get women, and be a “real” man. Perhaps most popularized by convicted sex trafficker Andrew Tate, the manosphere is only growing in popularity. In his latest documentary, Louis Theroux interviewed many of these manosphere influencers to find out what drives them and what type of content they are truly creating.

Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere is far from the first documentary Theroux has made about problematic (to put it lightly) cultures. His previous work includes titles such as The Most Hated Family in America, Louis and the Nazis, and The Ultra Zionists. The combination of his agreeable demeanor and penchant for asking hard questions straightforwardly makes him a great interviewer in these situations. Leveraging the cockiness of many of his interview subjects, Theroux created an exposing documentary that shows just how scary these sections of the internet can be.

The manosphere is no longer contained to just 4Chan and other niche sites the same way the incel culture that led to Gamergate in the mid-2010s was. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter all use their algorithms to push “shocking” content into the feed of impressionable young boys and men. The insidiousness is intentional. When asked why he doesn’t behave himself and act kindly online, British influencer HStikkytokky said, “If I just done good things, I would never have really blown up on social media in the first place”. He’s aware of how to use shock content to get a boost for the algorithm and he doesn’t care who it hurts. When pressed on the impact, he said, “I’m not livin’ for other people, I’m livin’ for myself”.

I hope that this documentary, which came out on Netflix on March 11th, will have an impact on parents of young children. It’s hard for people who didn’t grow up with such constant messaging to realize exactly how evil and manipulative red pill content can be. Knowing these people are out there and what they are preaching can help parents to make informed decisions about their children’s screen time and role models. After all, HStikkytokky and his friends don’t care who gets hurt, they’re just in it for themselves.