Alan Ritchson, star and titular character in Reacher, has spoken out against former US president Donald Trump, and the MAGA-hats are not happy.

Ritchson’s fanbase is largely composed of right-winged individuals, so it’s natural for fans to assume that the actor shares their political beliefs. But, Ritchson made his thoughts about the former president clear when he called him a “rapist and a con man,” and wondered why he is the “poster child” for the Christian church.

Alan Ritchson Stands By His Christian Faith

Many fans of Alan Ritchson and the show Reacher are upset, claiming the actor’s words, spoken in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, are offensive. In the interview, Ritchson shared how he is a devout Christian, and he believes that politics is a corrupting force within his religion.

“I’m a Christian quite simply because of what Jesus calls us to do,” Alan Ritchson said. “Love other people until death. It doesn’t mean we’re all to be hung on a cross, but how can I suffer for you? That is a beautiful thing.”

Fans Projected Their Values OntoThe Star

Alan Ritchson quickly began to accumulate a collection of conservative fans after being cast in Reacher. The show, which follows a former military policeman who solves crimes and serves his own kind of street justice, has often been commended by the right-wing media for being an “anti-woke” series.

It’s clear now that Alan Ritchson doesn’t share the same views as many of Reacher’s fans do. “It is so antithetical to what Jesus was calling us to be and to do,” the actor said, describing how Christians have become “the most vitriolic tribe.”

Ritchson Does Not Hold Back His Feelings

“Trump is a rapist and a con man,” Alan Ritchson said during the interview bluntly, stating what Reacher fans would later find offensive. “And yet the entire Christian church seems to treat him like he’s their poster child and it’s unreal. I don’t understand it.”

If that’s all Alan Ritchson said, he probably could have smoothed it over with the peeved-off Reacher fans, but he didn’t stop there. Without mincing any words, the actor shared his opinion on the Catholic Church as well.

“It’s worth saying that the atrocities that are happening in the church that are being actively covered up, even to this day with people not being held accountable, is repulsive. I can’t for one-second support the Catholic Church while there are still cardinals, bishops and priests being passed around with known pedophilic tendencies.”

Offended Fans Claim They’ll Boycott Reacher Season 3

Taking it even further, Alan Ritchson also described his frustration with unaccountable police departments, the problems faced by underage models, and other issues typical Reacher fans would undeniably call “woke.”

Alan Ritchson starred in the first two seasons of Reacher and is reprising his role for Season 3, which recently began production. However, many fans of the show have stated that they refuse to watch the next season based on Ritchson’s most recent comments.

Whether or not that’s true, we’ll have to wait and see. There is no set date for the Season 3 release, but it’s expected to hit streaming sometime after October 2024.