Actor Alan Ritchson, 43, has been quite vocal about the state of American politics over the last couple of years, earning him both backlash and praise among fans.Earlier in 2026, the Reacher star launched an extended criticism of Donald Trump’s administration for the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which were released to the public in January and had thousands of mentions of the US President.During a recent appearance at Fan Expo Canada, he revealed the negative reaction he has faced from the studio executives he works with for being outspoken.“I loved the show till I figured out who he really was, and haven’t watched since,” said one of the many who agreed with the studios.Studios have repeatedly asked Alan Ritchson to “shut up” about politicsDimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesAfter debuting as Aquaman on CW’s Superman show Smallville, Alan Ritchson gained wider recognition for playing Jack Reacher in Amazon Prime Video’s ongoing superhit action thriller Reacher, based on Lee Child’s novels.On August 29, 2026, he appeared as a guest at Fan Expo Canada, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Center.At one point during his panel interview, Ritchson argued that he tends to cause ‘chaos’ in his media appearances, saying, “Do you know how many phone calls I get from studios, saying, ‘Would you shut the f**k up, please? Stop talking in public.’”Comic Jo“But it’s not chaos I am after. It’s actually the opposite of chaos. I’m not going to get into it. You don’t want to see my rants starring these godd**n f***ing politicians everywhere.”“I’m not going to do it. Sony told me not to. And I’m not going to say anything. Not today. Not today, Epstein,” he added with a smile.After the audience cheered him for the name-drop, he fist-bumped with the moderators and said, “Pe**s win. We’re silent today.”The internet was divided over Alan Ritchson’s “political” commentsComic JoMany netizens were annoyed with Alan Ritchson’s comments, but he had a few admirers as well.“You’re a meath**d paid to pretend. We’re not interested in that, let alone your privileged opinion,” one user said.Another said, “Good advice for any entertainer. Just shut up and sing.”“He’s a person, no matter his status quo. He also has a right to talk about politics,” a third argued back.KurtShelto81601knghnri“Keep your beliefs and politics to yourself. We pay to be entertained, not lectured,” said a fourth.A fifth wrote, “It’s a breath of fresh air that these takes are coming from someone who looks the way he does.”“I put this dude on the Marc Ruffalo, De Niro, and Sean Penn no-watch list,” a sixth said.Ritchson has openly criticized several Republican politiciansDaniel Torok/The White HouseOn multiple occasions, Alan Ritchson has publicly criticized Donald Trump and other Republican politicians.“Trump is a r*p*st and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treating him like he’s their poster child, and it’s unreal. I don’t understand it,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in April 2024.In the same interview, he also commented about police brutality in light of the demise of Breonna Taylor, which led to an online clash with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images“Cops get away with m*rd*r all the time, and the fact that we can’t really hold them accountable for their improprieties is disturbing to me,” he told the outlet.In February 2025, he called his former classmate and Republican U.S. Representative for Florida, Matt Gaetz, an adversary.“It’s shocking to me that the panhandle of Florida continues to vote for somebody — knowing everything we know about him and the promises that he’s made behind closed doors about pardoning certain criminals — he’s just not a good dude,” he told GQ.Ritchson recently said Trump should “go to jail” over the Epstein FilesAmazon PrimeIn July 2026, Ritchson blasted Trump again on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, saying: “This is my f**king politics, dude. I would f**king railroad these f**kers. I would get those Epstein files out in two seconds.”“Don’t you want to see what’s in there so that we can hold people accountable?” he went on. “These f**king r*p*sts. We’re just cool with it. That b**ch has the keys to the nuclear codes. He’s like all up into 13-year-olds. Like dude, what? Go to jail.”“I think people are a little bit afraid of me because they’re like, ‘He’s a loose cannon,’ and I’m not,” he added.Amazon Prime“I’m just saying the s**t that everybody should say if they give a s**t about humanity. Everybody else should feel like I feel.”In September, Ritchson recently revealed that he had gotten approval to adapt the Jack Reacher novel titled Die Trying, which features his character fighting a white-extremist militia,“My favorite book. Fun fact: I had it approved until someone got re-elected,” he wrote on Threads.Mark Ruffalo among other actors who have been criticized for talking about politicsJohn Shearer/WireImageSeveral other actors, including veterans like Mark Ruffalo, Robert De Niro, and George Clooney, have faced backlash for commenting against Donald Trump.At the 2026 Golden Globes, Ruffalo was among the many who wore a “Be Good” pin in honor of Renee Good, who was fatally fired at by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her mother recently revealed that she had voted for Trump and demanded accountability from the administration.“The guy is a convicted felon,” Ruffalo said of Trump. “He’s the worst human being. If we’re relying on this guy’s morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we’re all in a lot of trouble.”JillRobiFangirlchipilin681White House Communications Director Steven Cheung fired back in a viral tweet, writing, “Poor thing Mark Ruffalo, star of She-Hulk, is one of the worst actors in the business.”“More impressively, he’s an even worse human being for spewing outright lies, because deep down inside, he hates himself for knowingly subjecting the public to his god-awful performance.”In August, Robert De Niro told USA Today, “We can’t have them in office anymore. It can’t be. He’s just going to destroy not only the country, but other parts of the world.”In September, during the Venice Film Festival, George Clooney said, “There’s a great word, a kakistocracy, which is a country run by the least qualified people. I think maybe we have a kakistocracy right now, but we’ll get through it.”“Giant crybaby,” one critic said about Alan Ritchsonpetet0721Jimni38Maxcmo305TheRochaSayssocko5012