Review: Louis theroux inside the manosphere

Louis Theroux’s ‘Manosphere’ Doco is Compulsory Viewing for Dads Everywhere

By Rob Stott - Review

Published: 13 Mar 2026

Readtime: 6 min

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Two moments towards the end of Louis Theroux’s Inside the Manosphere kept me awake last night. They showed the documentary’s subjects – young men who, for 90 minutes, revealed themselves as misogynistic, anti-semitic, racist, homophobic, and extremely stupid – as young kids.

Like millions of others, these kids are shown with iPhones and ring lights, making content. Ed Matthews appears as a bright-eyed blonde boy playing “Chubby Bunnies,” stuffing his mouth with marshmallows for views. A decade later, he’s now the subject of a documentary about some of the worst people on earth.

Another moment shows HS TikkyTokky – real name: Harrison Sullivan – with his mother in a Spanish villa (because he’s wanted by UK police over a car crash). Mrs. TikkyTokky defends her son, even pointing out that Theroux also profits from the “manosphere.” But as her son spars with Theroux, you see deep sadness in her eyes. This isn’t the boy she raised.

Inside the Manosphere made me frightened for my three-year-old daughter. I made the mistake of watching it just before bed, and spent the rest of the night wondering how to protect her from a movement built on keeping women subservient in a violent, misogynistic world.

Who is in Louis Theroux’s Manosphere Documentary?

HS TikkyTokky

The main focus, TikkyTokky is the total “Manosphere” package. Surrounded by security and scantily-clad women, he is insecure about his treatment yet craves the attention. And that attention is big business. In one disturbing scene, a gay man is lured to a date, then confronted and assaulted by TikkyTokky’s followers while thousands watch the livestream. TikkyTokky funnels young men to Telegram, pushing financial products and OnlyFans subscriptions for a cut. He admits he has no moral compass; he degrades women while selling porn, focused only on making money. Theroux invested $500 into his platforms; within a month, it was almost gone.

Ed Matthews

Described as “Robin to TikkyTokky’s Batman,” Matthews’ schtick involves chatting up girls, staying ripped, and dabbling in conspiracy theories. He occasionally exposes men he dubs predators with little evidence. I can’t stress enough how stupid this guy is.

Justin Waller

A successful businessman turned influencer, Waller positions himself as an aspirational life coach. His message of success is wrapped in misogyny, homophobia, and anti-semitism. A friend of the Tate brothers, he advocates for “one-way monogamy” – he sleeps with whoever he wants, while his wife remains faithful. Surprisingly, his wife seems on board.

I also couldn’t help but notice evidence of a hair transplant on Waller’s scalp; no one tell him that a transplant is its own form of gender-affirming care.

Myron Gaines

A former Homeland Security agent, Gaines frames his “life advice” as an excuse to berate women on his show. He calls himself the “dictator” of his relationship, yet he melts under the weight of his own contradictions when we meet his partner. By the end of the film, the relationship is over. Good for her.

Sneako

The most famous influencer here, Sneako represents the extreme wing of the manosphere. Banned from most platforms for his views – though recently reinstated on X – he is a MAGA acolyte converted to Islam. His content isn’t life advice; it’s pure radicalisation.

The Fans

We meet young men who claim the manosphere gave them purpose. One, who experienced homelessness after his brother’s suicide, credits TikkyTokky’s “hustle culture” for his recovery. It seems innocuous until you realise it’s the top of a funnel, pulling men into an algorithmic hell where women are the enemy.

The Matrix: A Prison of their Own Making

A constant theme is “the matrix” – the idea that elites are holding down the “little guy.” These influencers “break out” by holding down others: women, queer people, and Jews. They invariably claim to love women while treating them like cattle, and almost all come from broken homes without strong father figures.

They are right that there is a matrix, but it isn’t a global conspiracy; it’s the world they created. The matrix is their own algorithms and a business model requiring ever-more extreme views to stay relevant. These men are products of the internet culture they exploit.

Which brings me back to my daughter. Just three years old, she’s never heard the word algorithm, and she certainly has no idea of the impact that algorithms will have on her life. How will I protect her from a world that, in many cases, so clearly hates her just for existing? The manosphere doesn’t influence men, it targets impressionable boys who will grow into men with warped views of women – the kind of men my daughter will need to share a world with.

How do I prepare her for that?

Louis Theroux’s Inside the Manosphere didn’t offer many answers, but it did at least force me to reckon with the idea that it’s my duty to prepare her for the world as it is, not as I wish it to be.

Watch Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere on Netflix

Key questions about Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere

Is Inside the Manosphere suitable for parents and teenage boys to watch?

The documentary is a vital, though confronting, watch for parents of teenage boys. While it contains disturbing themes of misogyny and radicalisation, it serves as an educational tool to understand the “algorithmic funnel” that targets young men. For teens, it can act as a “de-radicalisation” tool by exposing the financial greed and personal contradictions behind their favourite influencers, showing that the “alpha” lifestyle is often a carefully manufactured performance.

What happened to HS TikkyTokky (Harrison Sullivan) after the documentary?

As shown in the film’s climax, Harrison Sullivan faced legal consequences for a car crash in the UK. After a period in Spain, he returned to the UK where he received a suspended prison sentence in late 2025. The documentary also highlights how his “Telegram” investment schemes—which Theroux tested with a $500 investment—ultimately failed to provide the promised returns, with the value essentially dropping to zero.

What is “The Matrix” in the context of the Manosphere?

In the documentary, “The Matrix” is a term used by influencers to describe a supposed global conspiracy of elites, media, and governments designed to keep men weak. However, as the film suggests, the real “Matrix” is the algorithmic loop of social media that rewards increasingly extreme behaviour to generate profit for influencers. It is a prison of their own making, fuelled by the very technology they claim to have mastered.