Spencer Pratt calls Ryan Reynolds a ‘tool’ over his comments on the 1980s being ‘scary’ and ‘traumatic’: ‘Hollywood is seriously its own worst enemy’

Spencer Pratt fired back at Ryan Reynolds this week over the actor’s harsh take on the 1980s, calling Reynolds and others like him “tools” for making comments that undermine Hollywood’s standing with everyday Americans.

“Here I am trying to bring back American film jobs and then these tools keep saying stupid cr*p like this and making every normal American hate them,” Pratt wrote on X.

“Hollywood is seriously its own worst enemy,” he added before ending the post with a direct jab, telling Reynolds to “just stick to the Cricket wireless ads, dude.”

Reynolds’ comments

The conflict goes back to Reynolds sat down with Variety at the New York premiere of his new Apple TV film “Mayday” on Thursday, August 3. While promoting the Cold War thriller, the actor went deep on his feelings about the decade.

Reynolds described the 1980s as a period marked by significant trauma that people conveniently forget when reminiscing about it today: “The 80s was a brutal, brutal time for people. It was a f**king mess and people forget that.”

“It was a tremendous strife. Socio political tensions everywhere. We were still pretty fresh off a Cuban missile crisis, which was only 15-20 years before. It’s a tumultuous period, but you look back at it now and you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah. ‘Top Gun.’ Cocaine!’ Like, ‘No!’ It was really scary.”

“When you get far enough away from a time period that’s quite distinct, there’s always a lovely feeling associated with it, almost like you pave over all the trauma with puppy dogs and ice cream,” he reasoned.

Other criticism at Reynolds

Radio host and political commentator Dan Bongino also criticized the Deadpool actor, pointing to moments he thinks as positive from the decade, including the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” hockey victory, the fall of the Berlin Wall and economic growth during President Ronald Reagan‘s administration.

“This dude doesn’t know jack s*** about the 1980s in America — and Jack left town. I was a teenager when the ’80s ended and it was an INCREDIBLE time to be alive. No social-media rage farming,” Bongino wrote on X.

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Christian Toto added that Reynolds’ criticism of the 1980s is odd because “Mayday” actually is a love letter to that very era.

He also added that Reynolds’ “’80s comments are so stunning. First, he was living in Canada during the 1980s and was pretty young at the time — he’s 49 now, meaning in 1986 he was just 9 years of age.”

The industry crisis behind Pratt’s criticism

There’s a broader conversation about Hollywood’s current state bhind Pratt’s statement. The entertainment industry has faced significant job losses in recent years.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the U.S. entertainment industry shed 49,000 positions since 2022. In Los Angeles specifically, where Pratt recently mounted a campaign for mayor, the situation has grown increasingly dire.

The declining numbers also included recent strikes and the ongoing shift of productions to competing states and international locations. During his mayoral run, Pratt consistently highlighted these numbers while arguing that entertainment figures should focus on promoting the industry rather than criticizing American culture.

More details about Mayday

The film follows a U.S. Navy pilot who crashes in Soviet territory in 1987 and develops an unlikely friendship with an eccentric ex-KGB agent, played by Kenneth Branagh, who has become obsessed with American 1980s culture.

It also stars, Marcin Dorociński, Maria Bakalova and David Morse and will be on Apple TV+ from Friday, September 5.