Pedro Pascal targeted by suspected smear campaign during Fantastic Four press tour

Pedro Pascal faces suspected smear campaign online while promoting Fantastic Four, prompting fan support.

While promoting The Fantastic Four: First Steps worldwide, Pedro Pascal is now facing what appears to be a suspicious smear campaign on social media. Despite his growing popularity in 2025, a wave of criticism has emerged online, with some users accusing the actor of inappropriate behavior during press events—particularly in interactions with co-star Vanessa Kirby.

How does Pedro Pascal get away with heavily petting his female costars, in Hollywood of all places, after the entire industry was upended over MeToo several years ago?

— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) July 23, 2025

A viral post on X (formerly Twitter), which received over 47,000 likes, questions Pascal’s physical affection with female co-stars, drawing comparisons to Hollywood’s post-MeToo era. This backlash arrives as online discourse grows increasingly wary of coordinated takedowns, especially following long-running public conflicts like the one between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. In that case, Baldoni was accused of orchestrating a doctored social media smear campaign—raising public awareness about how such efforts can be manufactured.

I know an artificial smear campaign when I see one — and Pedro Pascal is being targeted. Probably because he’s so well-loved by so many, and an advocate for trans rights. https://t.co/UzWIhr0dsh

— 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍𝙰𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 🇨🇦 (@LeaveHeardAlone) July 24, 2025

The Pedro Pascal hate campaign that suddenly sprung up over night has got to be the most obviously coordinated and botted attack I've ever seen.

It's literally the Superman monkey meme incarnate pic.twitter.com/PYT0YxpXsd

— Mischief (@MischiefsYT) July 24, 2025

Some users have linked the sudden shift in sentiment toward Pascal to his recent vocal opposition to J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans views. While no direct connection has been proven, many fans suspect a broader, possibly bot-driven campaign is targeting the actor. “The Pedro Pascal hate campaign... is the most obviously coordinated and botted attack I've ever seen,” one user wrote on X, garnering thousands of likes.

this whole pedro pascal thing is just revealing that most men cannot fathom intimacy and affection without the promise of sex https://t.co/RhjpO50Hxq

— ellaa (@EllaaKates) July 25, 2025

I think most of the anger directed at Pedro Pascal is men not knowing what consent is

— evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) July 25, 2025

Vanessa Kirby, Pascal’s co-star, addressed the criticism in Vanity Fair. Referencing their hand-holding moment during 2024 Comic-Con, she said, “He wanted me to know we were in this together... I found it a lovely gesture.” Actor Simu Liu also weighed in, criticizing “manufactured hate” and defending Pascal’s character during what he called a “moment of extreme visibility.”

manufactured hate for someone simply because they’re experiencing a moment of extreme visibility (ie a press tour they’re contractually obligated to do) is really fucking boring.

— Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) July 26, 2025

Despite the backlash, Pascal remains in demand, appearing this year in The Last of Us Season 2, The Fantastic Four, Materialists, and Ari Aster’s Eddington.