Alan Ritchson Mocks ‘War Machine’ Critics After Viral Fight Headlines
After a week of headlines about his fight video, which left fans hungry to know every detail of the altercation, Alan Ritchson is going viral again for clapping back at critics. He just posted a fun new Instagram video mocking the "haters" who slammed his role in War Machine. The sudden shift adds another layer to an already chaotic week for the actor.
Why Alan Ritchson Is Mocking His War Machine 'Haters'
Photo by Ben King/Netflix
In the days after War Machine made its Netflix debut on March 6, 2026, the science-fiction action movie quickly became a massive hit for Netflix. According to Variety, the film racked up 39.3 million views in just three days. Still, those extremely strong viewership numbers didn't shield the movie from criticism.
After War Machine was released, some viewers took to social media to give their takes on the film. One user on X, @ChrisKayAuthor, captured a notable criticism about the star's age in the movie. "Ritchson was way too old for his character." That line summed up a sentiment about the film that its star would later tackle himself on social media.
On March 26, 2026, the United States Army announced that it was raising its maximum recruitment age to 42. Later that same day, Ritchson posted a video on Instagram playfully mocking people who'd claimed he was too old in War Machine while pointing to that move from the real Army.
In the video, Ritchson enthusiastically said with a laugh: "Haters, where are all my haters at? All the War Machine haters, people that watched that movie, and up in the comments, he's too old to be playing a soldier in RASP, even though it's part of the story. Hey, he's too old to be playing a soldier. Oh no, he'd never make it in RASP, he's too old. Well, guess what? Guess what? U.S. just raised the enlistment age to what? Uh-huh, 42! Ha-ha! Yeah! War Machine prophetic, man!"
Alan Ritchson was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, on November 28, 1984. War Machine was filmed in late 2024 in Victoria, Australia. That means that its star turned 41 years old while he was filming the movie, which he once said left him feeling the most tired he'd ever been.