Chris Pratt's Mother's Day post gets attention for not mentioning ex-wife Anna Faris
Chris Pratt wished his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, a happy Mother's Day – but came under fire for leaving someone out of his message. Pratt did not mention his ex-wife, Anna Faris, with whom he has a 10-year-old son, Jack. This is not the first time one of Pratt's Instagram posts has come under scrutiny.
In his post on Sunday, Pratt wished a Happy Mother's Day "to all of the mothers out there," saying he was "especially grateful today for Katherine."
He called Schwarzenegger, the daughter of actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, "a wonderful partner."
"You've provided me such a blessed life. Our two daughters are so lucky to have you and you're the best step mama to Jack," he continued, also mentioning his mom, Kathy, and mother-in-law, Maria Shriver. The photo showed Pratt with all three women.
"And to all of the other moms in my life, I'm so grateful for all you do- thank you so much. Hope you feel celebrated today," he wrote.
The post received more than 2,000 comments – some from people who criticized him for not mentioning Faris, while others shared their own experiences with exes. "My ex husband sent me a very nice message wishing me a happy Mother's Day. Marriage didn't work out, but at least he knows I'm a good mom to our child. It's just appreciation," one person wrote.
Others defended Pratt, with many saying there was nothing wrong or unusual with the post. "All of those people making comments about Chris's ex wife, she never made a father's day post about him after they broke up either," one person commented. "Double standards and making him a villain over nothing. If it's your ex partner you shouldn't have to include them in anything unless you see fit. I'd do the same."
Pratt, 43, and Faris, 46, divorced in 2018 after eight years of marriage. He married Schwarzenegger, 33, in 2019.
Pratt didn't mention Faris in his Mother's Day post last year – only Schwarzenegger – which received similar comments about leaving his ex-wife out.
And he came under fire for a similar post in November 2021, when he shared a shot of him and Schwarzenegger on Instagram and praised his wife in the caption. The line that stood out to critics: "She's given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter." Many read the line as a dig to Faris and his son, Jack, who was born prematurely.
In June 2022, Pratt addressed the backlash he received for that post, saying in an interview with Men's Health that he didn't know at first why people were coming after him, but he later cried about it.
Pratt explained the post and aftermath, saying: "And then a bunch of articles came out and said, 'That's so cringeworthy. I can't believe Chris Pratt would thank her for a healthy daughter when his first child was born premature. That's such a dig at his ex-wife.' And I'm like, That is f**ked up," he said. "My son's gonna read that one day. He's nine. And it's etched in digital stone. It really f**king bothered me, dude. I cried about it. I was like, I hate that these blessings in my life are—to the people close to me—a real burden."
Last month, Pratt opened up about his love for Schwarzenegger on "The Drew Barrymore Show," sharing that they met at church and saying it was a time in his life when he was "struggling and felt really broken."
He said he was "sneaking glances" at Schwarzenegger while he was in the front row at church. "You kind of don't want to be like, 'Whoa, who is that?' at church, you know what I mean," he said. "But I was kind of sneaking some glances and I was like, 'Who is that? Any way, what am I doing? Come on, I'm broken, help me.'" He said they didn't start dating right after they met.
"God has a fast-forward button," he said. "When it's right, boom. You fall in love, you get married. Now we have two beautiful daughters to add to my family."